Jordan foils attempt to supply weapons to saboteurs to destabilize situation - Reuters

Jordan foils attempt to supply weapons to saboteurs to destabilize situation - Reuters

Kyiv  •  UNN

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Jordan foiled an Iranian-backed plan to smuggle weapons into the kingdom to carry out sabotage by a Hamas-affiliated Muslim Brotherhood cell.

The Kingdom of Jordan has prevented an alleged Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons into the kingdom to carry out sabotage against the ruling monarchy. Reuters reports citing sources, UNN reports.

Details

The weapons were reportedly sent by Iranian-backed militias in Syria to a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, which has ties to the military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas. According to them, the hideout was seized when members of the cell, Jordanians of Palestinian origin, were arrested in late March.

The Jordanian sources did not say what acts of sabotage were planned, citing ongoing investigations and covert operations. According to them, the aim of the plot was to destabilize Jordan, a country that could become a regional hotspot in the Gaza crisis, as it hosts a US military base and borders Israel, as well as Syria and Iraq, where Iranian-backed groups operate.

The sources did not specify what weapons were seized during the March raid, but noted that in recent months, security services have prevented numerous attempts by Iran and its allied groups to smuggle weapons, including Claymore mines, C4 and Semtex explosives, Kalashnikovs and 107mm Katyusha rockets.

According to Jordanian sources, most of the clandestine flow of weapons into the country was destined for the neighboring, Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. However, according to them, some of the weapons - including those seized in March - were intended for use in Jordan by a Brotherhood cell affiliated with Hamas militants.

They hide these weapons in pits called "dead zones," locate them using GPS and take pictures, and then instruct people to remove them

- said one of the sources.

Reuters writes that the alleged plot and arrests come at a time of extreme tension in the Middle East. Hamas has already stated that it "has nothing to do with any action against Jordan" and that its target is only Israel.

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