Jordan’s 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,” amid fears of military escalation between Iran and its allies on one side and Israel on the other.
According to the Agence France-Presse, a statement from the Royal Court quoted King Abdullah during his meeting with a delegation of aides to U.S. Congress members at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman, where they discussed “current developments in the region.” The King stated, “Jordan will not be a battlefield, and it will not allow the lives of its people to be endangered.”
He emphasized “the need to make every possible effort to de-escalate the situation in the region and to reach a comprehensive calm to avoid slipping into a regional war.”
The King warned that “the region will remain vulnerable to the expansion of conflict, threatening its stability, as long as the war in Gaza continues. This necessitates intensified international efforts to stop the war through an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated 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 violate the Kingdom’s airspace and endanger the lives of Jordanians.”
He added that “any target in Jordanian skies will be shot down, and Jordan will not allow its airspace to be used. Any object passing over Jordanian airspace that is considered a threat to us and Jordanians will be confronted.”
Safadi also stated that “Jordan will not be a battlefield for any party in clashes that are essentially actions and reactions between Iran and Israel; as these clashes will neither end the occupation nor liberate Palestine, nor will they resolve the conflict. All they will do is increase tension, escalation, and destruction in the region.”
Safadi visited Tehran last Sunday, conveying a message from King Abdullah II.
Fears of regional escalation have intensified, especially after Iran vowed to retaliate for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement, in Tehran in an operation attributed to Israel.
In mid-April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel in response to an attack on its consulate in Damascus, in an unprecedented direct strike that was “thwarted,” according to the Israeli military.
Jordan confirmed at the time that it intercepted “flying objects” that breached its airspace coinciding with the Iranian attack on Israel, pledging to counter any threat “from any source.”
