King Abdullah II calls Israel’s actions in Syria a regional threat — Jerusalem Post

In New York, United States, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on September 22 during the UN General Assembly that the actions of the Israeli government pose a regional threat, and that Syria is a warning of this. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post in an analytical article about the Jordanian monarch’s speech.

Abdullah II spoke of repeated Israeli incursions into Syria, gradual territorial expansion and the establishment of new positions on the ground, including near important water resources. According to him, Israel is testing step by step how far it can go, crossing borders and pushing the legal boundaries of expansion.

Amman’s concerns over southern Syria

The publication notes that Jordan is closely monitoring the situation in southern Syria, as it seeks to prevent instability from spreading across the border. According to the Jerusalem Post, during Bashar al-Assad’s rule, the country took in nearly one million Syrian refugees and faced threats, including drug smuggling supported by Iran-linked forces.

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After the fall of the Assad regime, Amman supported the new authorities in Damascus, viewing them as an opportunity for stabilization. At the same time, according to the Jerusalem Post’s assessment, Jordanian authorities are concerned about Israel’s desire to demilitarize southern Syria and its support for friends in Suwayda. The article also states that Jordan considers Suwayda a source of drug trafficking linked to networks from the Assad regime era.

Regional assessment of the situation

The author of the article writes that Jordan’s criticism of Israel at the UN General Assembly goes beyond the traditional disputes over the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. In the author’s view, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey increasingly see Israel as a potential threat amid Iran’s waning influence in the region.

Jordan also fears a power vacuum in southern Syria and the emergence of extremist groups there. The kingdom considers instability in Syria or in the West Bank a direct threat to its own security.