One of the new developments in the recent conflict with Iran has been how its proxy militias are increasingly targeting the Kingdom of Jordan.
This has included ballistic-missile attacks and drone threats. Americans have been killed in these attacks.
In the latest incident overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, Jordan was forced to contend with new missile threats.
“Jordan’s air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country’s military said, hours after the US military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting,” the Associated Press reported.
The Jordanian military said it had intercepted and destroyed the missiles.
Iranian state media said the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and claimed to have targeted a US Central Command (CENTCOM) facility in Jordan.
Tehran has considered Jordan to be a potential front line for years. In the past, Iran and Iranian regime-backed militias targeted other sites in eastern Jordan, including Tower 22. In January 2024, Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq struck the US military outpost with drones, killing three American service members.
Tehran appears to believe that Jordan can be attacked, and that it is less likely to respond than the Gulf states. Maybe it sees Jordan as a kind of soft underbelly of Western allies in the region.
Iran has not attacked Israel, for instance, and has preferred to strike at Jordan.
Jordan and Israel have long been linked by history. Once part of the Ottoman Empire, both countries were briefly united under British control after World War I. The kingdom then became a separate mandatory entity under British rule.
Jordan has maintained close ties with Britain and the West. Transjordan emerged from the British Mandate system in the early 1920s under Abdullah I, a member of the Hashemite family who cooperated with Britain during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.
British officers helped organize and train the Arab Legion, which became one of the region’s most professional military forces.
Jordan gained independence in 1946, but its relationship with Britain and the West remained important. During the Cold War, the monarchy increasingly became a key Western partner in the region.
King Hussein, who ruled from 1952-1999, navigated threats from neighboring states and Palestinian terrorist groups. He had close ties with Britain and the United States, which culminated in a peace deal in 1994.
Israel and Jordan have had various levels of contact since the 1940s.
Jordan sits at crossroads of broader Mideast conflict, vulnerable to spillover
Jordan is a monarchy and has close ties with the Gulf states. It is also tied to Syria through cultural and clan connections in northern Jordan. As such, it sits precariously at the crossroads of the region.
The kingdom has always tried to hedge its situation, which is vulnerable to spillover from regional conflicts, such as during the Gulf War, when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. This has happened frequently in the past.
The US gradually became Jordan’s most important Western supporter, providing extensive economic and military assistance. Under King Abdullah II, who succeeded King Hussein in 1999, Jordan has remained a close US and Western security partner.
Its strategic position between Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia has made the kingdom particularly important in counterterrorism, regional diplomacy, and Western military strategy.
During the recent round of attacks, Jordan has been involved in outreach in Europe.
“Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein and senior government and military officials held meetings on Tuesday with French Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces and Veterans Alice Rufo to discuss defense cooperation and regional developments,” Saudi Arabia-based newspaper Arab News reported Tuesday.
“The crown prince warned of the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank, calling for greater international efforts to halt the escalation, and highlighted the need to achieve comprehensive calm across the region,” the report said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Jordanians also had to confront drone threats.
“The Royal Jordanian Air Force intercepted and shot down a drone that breached Jordanian airspace early on Tuesday, the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army said,” Petra, Jordan’s official news agency, reported.
“The military’s official spokesperson said the drone was detected through the Armed Forces’ surveillance and monitoring system, before being brought down in the eastern desert inside Jordanian territory, in accordance with the approved rules of engagement,” the report said.
It remains to be seen whether Jordan will join the US in responding, which the Saudis have done. The kingdom has preferred to try to remain quiet during this conflict, even though it is increasingly being targeted.