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Jordan is not planning to invade southern Syria or to establish a so-called “safe zone” in the region, a Jordanian official told Ammon News on July 7, refuting reports which promoted such a plan.
The unnamed official told the news agency that no plans to establish a “safe zone” in southern Syria were ever considered by Jordan.
“There is no talk about establishing a safe zone,” the official said, stressing that “Jordan is not even thinking of establishing such a zone.”
The source of these claims was Syrian lawyer and opposition activist Suleiman al-Qarfan who said in an interview with the Horan Free League, which was published on July 4, that Jordan is planning to invade southern Syria in order to establish a 35-kilometer “safe zone”.
Al-Qarfan claimed that a decision to establish a “safe-zone” in southern Syria was taken during a recent meeting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to him, the plan was approved by Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Al-Qarfan went as far as claiming that the plan was “blessed” by both the US and Israel who want to counter Iran’s influence in the region.
These claims came after a series of complains from Jordan over the situation along its border with Syria. The Kingdom top officials, including King Abdullah II himself, talked recently about an increase in drug trafficking operations as well as in the activities of Iranian-backed forces in the region.
Despite these complains, Jordan appears to be in favor of keeping Syria’s southern region under the control of Syrian government forces. In 2018, the Kingdom played a key role in facilitating a Russian-brokered reconciliation agreement that saw the return of the entire region to the government control.
