As fears of a military escalation between Iran and its allies on the one hand, and Israel on the other, continue, Jordanian King Abdullah II affirmed today (Sunday) that his country “will not be a battlefield, and will not allow the lives of its people to be endangered.”
A statement issued by the Royal Court quoted King Abdullah as saying during his reception of a delegation of assistants to members of the US Congress at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, in a meeting that discussed “current developments in the region,” that “Jordan will not be a battlefield, and will not allow the lives of its people to be endangered.”
He stressed “the need to make every effort to reduce the escalation in the region and reach a comprehensive calm, to avoid sliding into a regional war.”
The King believed that “the region will remain vulnerable to the expansion of the circle of conflict that threatens its stability, as long as the war on Gaza continues, which requires intensifying international efforts to stop the war, by reaching an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Saturday evening in an interview with Al Arabiya channel that “Jordan has clearly and explicitly informed Iran and Israel that it will not allow anyone to breach the Kingdom’s airspace and endanger the lives of Jordanians.”
He added, “Any target in Jordanian skies will be shot down, Jordan will not allow its airspace to be used, and anything passing over Jordanian airspace that we believe is a threat to us and to Jordanians will be confronted.”
Safadi continued, “Jordan will not be a battlefield for any party, in clashes that are essentially actions and reactions between Iran and Israel; as clashes between the two parties will not end the occupation, will not liberate Palestine, and will not end the conflict. All they will do is increase tension, escalation, and destruction in the region.”
Fears of a regional escalation are growing, especially after Iran threatened to respond to the assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, in an operation attributed to Israel.
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2024-08-13 15:36:42