Jordan wants stability in southern Syria but unclear if it's willing to help
The Kingdom of Jordan said it welcomed a ceasefire in the southern Syrian area of Suwayda after days of clashes between the Syrian government and the Druze minority.
The clashes started when Druze fought with local Bedouin tribes. Jordan has a complex relationship with Syria. It wants stability, but it's unclear whether the Kingdom will do much to support that goal.
The 'Jordanian foreign ministry welcomed Tuesday the ceasefire decision in the province of Sweida, southern Syria, affirming its support for the Syrian state in preserving its sovereignty,' Syria's state media noted.
Jordanian state media Petra News noted that the foreign ministry's spokesperson, Ambassador Dr. Sufian Qudah, 'emphasized the need for calm, restraint, to prevent further bloodshed, enforce law and ensure that the Syrian state exercises full sovereignty over its territories.'
SANA state media in Syria noted that the Jordanian spokesperson 'reiterated Jordan's support for the Syrian government's efforts to rebuild the country on foundations that guarantee its security, stability, unity, and sovereignty, while preserving the safety, rights, and security of all Syrians.'
These are very general comments, indicating that Amman is reticent to say much about what is happening right across the border. It's important to understand the context here. Northern Jordan is populated by many people who have larger tribal connections to southern Syria. This is particularly true in Irbid, Ramtha, and other areas near Syria's Dara'a province.
During the Syrian civil war, many hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled to Jordan. They were welcomed to some extent. Some ended up in large refugee camps such as Zaatari. When the Syrian regime pushed Syrian rebels out of Dara'a in 2018, there were calls for the refugees to go back. Some of them went back and then found themselves forcibly recruited to the army of the Syrian Assad regime. In December 2024, the Assad regime fell.
Jordan had backed Syrian rebels linked to the southern front in Dara'a. The group that came to power in December 2024 was linked more to northern rebels in Idlib.
As such, Jordan didn't know who would come to power in Damascus or if they could deal with the new rulers. Ahmed al-Shara'a has tried to smooth things over with Amman.
However, Amman has a long history of suspicions with Syria. Back in 1918, Arab rebels sought to expand their control to Syria after the British-backed Arab revolt spread from Mecca to Jordan. The family of the rulers of Jordan briefly took Damascus before being pushed out to Iraq and back to Jordan.
As such, Syria was suspicious of Jordan's ambitions. Later, Syria threatened Jordan in the 1970s. During the civil war, the Jordanians did intervene slightly by backing rebels, but after 2018, their main concern was Assad-backed drug traders destabilizing the Jordanian border.
What comes next with the Syrian conflict
Now Jordan wonders what comes next. The conflict in Suwadya is unlikely to spill over because there is no large Druze community in Jordan. If anything, the Jordanians likely back the Bedouin tribes who clashed with the Druze. However, Jordan doesn't want any radicalization.
Jordan has also backed US troops and other western countries in the region. The US still has a role at Tanf in southern Syria near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders. The Tanf garrison of US forces supports the Syrian Free Army, a small group that now calls itself 'Division 70' of the Syrian army.
Since June, the SFA hasn't appeared to do much, leading to questions about what its role is and what will happen to the Americans based at Tanf.
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