Over the past week, tensions between Jordan and Syria appear to have increased in the wake of an attack on a church in Karak and a Jordanian airstrike on a terror cell in southern Syria. Southern Syria borders both Jordan and Israel’s Golan. Israel has been carrying out raids into Syria since the fall of the Assad regime. What might come next?
Additionally, Jordanian authorities “foiled an attempt to smuggle two million narcotic pills through the Jaber border crossing with Syria, the Public Security Directorate (PSD) said on Sunday,” Jordan Times noted. “The operation was carried out by Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) personnel at the border crossing in coordination with the Customs Department and other security agencies.” A PSD statement described authorities intercepting a suspicious cargo truck as it attempted to enter the country, following intelligence received about the vehicle.
The Jordanians found two million narcotic pills; this is not the first time. Jordan has been concerned about drug smuggling from Syria for years. During the reign of the Assads, the regime backed drug smuggling.
These days, the government in Syria does not support the smuggling, but the smugglers still exist. Some have said that smuggling routes stretch through and exploit the area of Sweida in southern Syria because of clashes between the Druze in Sweida and the government.
Meanwhile, Karaki police on Saturday seized nine automatic firearms and GPS devices after a suspicious bag was found in the Mochi area, according to PSD spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Amer Sartawi, Jordanian media said.
“Sartawi said that the bag had been carried by thermal balloons and preliminary investigations indicated that it had drifted with the wind from the kingdom’s southern border, adding that investigations are ongoing.”
This indicates that there are various security concerns across Jordan. In the past, there have been smuggling attempts from Jordan into Israel, which has increased its border security in the Jordan Valley in the last several years.
War and peace in Syria
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said that Syria and Jordan maintain strategic relations and close security and military cooperation aimed at safeguarding their shared border and ensuring regional stability, Jordan media also noted. Shaibani made the comments at the 22nd Manama Dialogue events in Bahrain over the weekend.
Jordan Times noted that the top Syrian diplomat said, “The region faces growing challenges from cross-border militias and armed groups operating outside state institutions, undermining governments’ authority over decisions of war and peace.”
The diplomat added that “Syria has moved beyond the trenches of conflict to take its place in shaping regional security.” Shaibani visited southern Syria last week and made similar comments. He has argued that Syrian-Jordanian relations are “at their strongest in a century,” stressing that “the incident would not undermine ties between the neighboring countries.”
Shaibani added, “Jordan’s security is part of Syria’s security, and Syria’s security is part of Jordan’s security.”
A century of ties and tensions
Syria and Jordan share a long history shaped by the Arab Revolt, competing political ambitions, and recurring security crises. Their relationship dates back to the end of World War I, when the Hashemite-led Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire helped pave the way for Arab forces to enter Damascus in 1918.
Prince Faisal briefly ruled Syria before the French expelled him in 1920. His brother Abdullah subsequently established the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921. Faisal ended up ruling Iraq. The division of the region under British and French mandates left the two countries with close historical ties but different political trajectories.
Relations were frequently tense during the Cold War.
In September 1970, Syria sent armored forces into Jordan during the kingdom’s civil war, known as Black September, supporting the Palestinian terrorist groups that attacked King Hussein’s Jordanian forces. The intervention failed, but it left a lasting legacy of mistrust between Damascus and Amman.
At the time, Israel quietly backed Jordan. Jordan and Israel agreed to a peace deal in 1994.
Relations between Syria and Jordan improved periodically, particularly after Bashar al-Assad and King Abdullah II came to power.
The Syrian civil war, beginning in 2011, created new challenges. Jordan hosted hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and supported some opposition groups in southern Syria. However, Amman later sought to restore relations with Assad, reopening border trade and pursuing security cooperation.
Drug trafficking, particularly smuggling of the synthetic stimulant Captagon, remained a major concern, along with Iranian-backed militias operating in southern Syria.
Following Assad’s fall in 2024, Jordan moved to engage Syria’s new government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Nevertheless, instability in Daraa and Sweida, cross-border smuggling, and the threat of armed groups continue to complicate relations. For Jordan, the priority remains a stable Syrian neighbor that can secure its borders and prevent regional conflicts from spilling into the kingdom.