Jordan has apparently given Israel permission to enter its airspace to access Syria in order to monitor & possibly act against the movement of chemical weapons
By Israel Today Staff
In a demonstration of regional cooperation against shared threats, Jordan this week gave the green light for Israeli drones to use its airspace to enter neighboring Syria in order to monitor the use and movement of chemical weapons.
Israel Air Force Drone – Photo courtesy IDF Spokesperson’s Office
That according to French newspaper Le Figaro, which cited unnamed experts as saying the Jordanians had opened up two flight corridors to Israeli drones.
The drones’ primary mission will reportedly be observation, but the aircraft will be armed should the opportunity to destroy a chemical weapons shipment present itself.
The deal was said to be the result of numerous secretive meetings between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman over the past several months.
Should large quantities of chemical weapons fall into the hands of dangerous rebel groups, Israel and Jordan have discussed the possibility of a full aerial campaign and even a limited ground invasion, though Jordan is said to be reluctant to commit to such options.
The success of Syrian rebel groups affiliated with the likes of Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood poses nearly as much of a threat to Jordan as it does to Israel. After taking down Assad, many of these groups see the Jordanian monarchy as their next logical target.
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