FALCON POWERS – The Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II, affirmed on Sunday that his country “will not be a battlefield and will not allow the lives of its people to be endangered”, amidst fears of a military escalation between Iran and its allies on one side, and Israel on the other.
According to a statement from the Royal Palace, King Abdullah said during a meeting with a delegation of US Congressional aides at the Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman, which discussed “the current regional developments”, that “Jordan will not be a battlefield, and will not allow the lives of its people to be endangered.” He emphasized “the need to make the utmost effort to de-escalate the situation in the region and achieve a comprehensive calm, to avoid sliding into a regional war.”
The King believed that “the region will remain vulnerable to the expansion of the conflict that threatens its stability, as long as the war in Gaza continues, which requires intensifying international efforts to stop the war through reaching an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said 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 Jordan’s airspace will be shot down, and Jordan will not allow the use of its airspace, and will confront anything that passes over Jordan’s airspace that we believe is a threat to us and the Jordanians.”
Safadi continued, “Jordan will not be a battlefield for any party in clashes that are essentially a reaction between Iran and Israel, as these clashes will not end the occupation, liberate Palestine, or end the conflict, but rather they will only increase tension, escalation and destruction in the region.”
