In an unusual incident, the Jordanian Armed Forces said they had scrambled jets this week to confront an “unknown” aerial activity on Monday.
The jets were sent up after radar detected the potential threat. It was not clear if this was a response to a drone threat, which has been an issue for Jordan over the last year, or some other type of “activity.” The incident occurred in Jordan’s northern region, a wide swath of territory bordering Syria.
On the one hand, this could be a mundane event. However, a drone launched by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq killed three Americans in late January in Jordan. In addition, drug smugglers in Syria have used drones. The drug smuggling gangs are often linked to Iranian-backed militias.
Furthermore, various countries have reported various unknown aerial phenomena in recent years. “The official spokesman for the Jordan Armed Forces clarified that the activation of the jets was a standard security protocol to ensure the integrity of Jordan's airspace,” the Jordanians said, according to Jordan’s Petra News. “The deployment aimed to assess and ensure the security of the Kingdom's airspace. After thorough checks, the air force confirmed the safety of the airspace, identifying no threats, and subsequently, the aircraft returned to their bases.”
Jordan has requested to stop false reporting until the incident has been confirmed
Jordan asked people to stop spreading rumors. The fact that the threat was not identified has not helped regarding the rumor-mongering. Al-Ain media also reported the incident. It said that Reuters had reported the planes flew over Irbid in northern Jordan, near the Syrian border.