King Abdullah II of Jordan received Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on Wednesday. The Syrian leader arrived at Marka Airport for an official visit to the Kingdom, Jordan’s state media Petra News Agency reported.
This is an important and pivotal meeting. Jordan and Syria share a long border that has, at times, led to concerns about security.
Jordan is not merely a border state with Syria. The two countries share many things in common historically. The population of northern Jordan, for instance, has tribal connections with people in southern Syria.
Damascus is not very far from the Jordanian border, and it is only around a two-hour drive. Historically, when the Arab revolt was involved in pushing the Ottomans out of the areas that became Jordan, the leadership sought to take over Damascus as well.
This led to a short conflict with France, which was becoming the colonial power in Damascus. King Faisal, who became king of Iraq, first attempted to install himself in Damascus. His brother ended up on the throne of Jordan.
It is, therefore, fitting that the new president of Syria would visit Jordan on his third international trip, following Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkey was the former colonial power over Syria, having served as the center of the Ottoman Empire. Saudi Arabia is a key Muslim nation that has historically played a leading role in the Islamic world. Notably, the president of Syria was born in Saudi Arabia.
Night of confusion in southern Syria
The president of Syria also arrived in Jordan after a night of confusion in southern Syria as locals reported Israeli airstrikes.
The IDF said, “Over the past few hours, the IDF struck military targets in southern Syria, including command centers and multiple sites containing weapons.”
Israel’s Prime Minister has said southern Syria must be demilitarized, and the foreign minister has slammed Sharaa’s government. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "We will not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon - any attempt by the Syrian regime forces and the country's terrorist organizations to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria - will be met with fire."
This is important because the Kingdom of Jordan has stood in solidarity with Syria after the Israeli attacks. Amman condemned the attacks and supports Syria’s territorial integrity.
Present at the reception for the Syrian leader was Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, who is the Chief Advisor to His Majesty for Religious and Cultural Affairs and Personal Envoy.
In addition, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan attended, and so did Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi and Director of His Majesty's Office Alaa Batayneh. The Crown Prince of Jordan was in Turkey on an official visit, meeting the Turkish president.
The Syrian President was accompanied by his Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, Asaad Al-Sheibani, and several senior officials. Syria's President praised Jordan for reconstruction efforts in Syria, and the King of Jordan urged coordination with Syria on border security and combating arms smuggling.
This is a symbolic and pivotal meeting between two key Arab countries. Both of them border Israel. Southern Syria now appears to be in the crosshairs, and it is unclear if the countries can get to some accommodation with Israel to prevent further airstrikes.