GPS News
WAR REPORT
Syria says 'no justification' for deadly Jordan strikes
Syria says 'no justification' for deadly Jordan strikes
by AFP Staff Writers
Damascus (AFP) Jan 23, 2024

Syria said Tuesday there was "no justification" for Jordan's deadly air strikes on its territory, with Amman accusing Damascus of failing to halt drug and arms trafficking.

A war monitor has reported that the Jordanian air force launched deadly strikes in Syria in January and December as Amman pursues efforts to fight drug smuggling.

Amman has not confirmed it carried out the raids, although it had previously vowed to fight the narcotics trade in cooperation with war-torn Syria.

In Damascus's first comments on the strikes, the foreign ministry said: "Syria deeply regrets Jordanian Air Force strikes on... Syrian territory."

"There is no justification for such military operations," it said.

Jordan's foreign ministry lashed back at Syria, describing drug and arms smuggling across the border from the country as a "threat to national security".

"Jordan will continue to confront this danger and anyone standing behind it," it added in a statement.

One of the main drugs smuggled out of Syria is the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon, for which there is huge demand in the oil-rich Gulf.

Captagon is by far Syria's biggest export, dwarfing all its legal exports put together, according to estimates drawn from official data by AFP.

Talks between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad established a forum to combat drug smuggling from Syria, which held its first meeting in Amman in July.

But Jordan's strikes were not consistent with what was agreed on by both sides, the Syrian foreign ministry said.

Damascus "has expressed its readiness to cooperate with Jordanian civil and security institutions, but those messages were ignored," it added.

Jordanian foreign ministry spokesperson Sufyan Qudah said the kingdom had provided Syria during those meetings with a list of smugglers, drug factories, storage facilities and smuggling routes in government-controlled areas.

"Yet no real measure has been taken to neutralise this risk, in fact smuggling attempts have seen a dangerous increase," Qudah said, adding that Amman was still ready to cooperate with Damascus to halt arms and drug trafficking.

Fighting drug trafficking from Syria was one of the main issues that drove regional re-engagement with Assad's government, which was re-admitted to the Arab League in May after more than a decade of isolation.

Since 2011, Syria has endured a bloody conflict that has claimed more than half a million lives and displaced several million people.

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
Israelis rush to funerals after deadliest day for troops in Gaza
Jerusalem (AFP) Jan 23, 2024
Hundreds of Israelis hurried past evergreen trees and cyclamen beds in the Mount Herzl military cemetery near Jerusalem on Tuesday to pay their respects to soldiers killed on Israel's deadliest day for troops in the Gaza war. Twenty-four soldiers were killed on Monday in the Palestinian territory, the biggest single-day loss since ground operations began at the end of October. "I actually don't know the person who fell personally, but he's my brother, because we're one nation and we all feel con ... read more

WAR REPORT
Norwegian Seaweed Farming: A Case Study in Sustainability and Local Community Involvement

Why European farmers are up in arms

World's largest database of weeds lets scientists peer into the past, and future, of global agriculture

Food from urban agriculture has carbon footprint 6 times larger than conventional produce, study shows

WAR REPORT
Computing with the power of light

New candidate for universal memory is fast, low-power, stable and long-lasting

Eco-friendly organic semiconductor technology emerges from Swedish research

TSMC to launch chipmaking plant in Japan, but US plant to face delays

WAR REPORT
Taiwan detects record six Chinese balloons

NASA, Lockheed Martin Reveal X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft

Major climate benefits with electric aircraft

Mapping the Milky Way as GUSTO nears record flight duration for balloon over Antarctica

WAR REPORT
Tens of thousands sign up for French electric car leasing scheme

EU agrees tougher C02 curbs for trucks, buses

Hertz to shrink EV rental fleet over sluggish US demand

Honda unveils futuristic EV designs to hit US market in 2026

WAR REPORT
Amazon's French warehouses fined over employee surveillance

Most Asian markets rise after Wall St record

Poland, Ukraine leaders meet to renew diplomatic ties amid deal on trucker protests

Hong Kong leads most Asian markets higher on China support hopes

WAR REPORT
China-funded nickel hub stoking deforestation on Indonesia island: report

Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought

Soil fungi may help explain the global gradient in forest diversity

Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon halved in 2023

WAR REPORT
Pixxel inaugurates advanced satellite manufacturing hub in India

CNSA launches Gaofen 5-01A satellite for advanced earth observation

Capella Space and Floodbase unite to enhance Parametric Flood Insurance with Advanced SAR Imagery

Climate change isn't producing expected increase in atmospheric moisture over dry regions

WAR REPORT
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.