Jordan lobbying to prevent Israel from using its airspace for Iran strike – officials

WASHINGTON — Jordan’s King Abdullah asked US President Joe Biden during a call over the weekend to urge Israel not to use Amman’s airspace in a counter-strike against Iran, three officials familiar with the matter tell The Times of Israel.

Given how critical the Hashemite kingdom has been of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, Jordan was arguably the most notable member of the US-led coalition that joined the IDF in shooting down the over 300 missiles and drones Iran fired at the Jewish state on Saturday night.

But Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi subsequently insisted that Amman will protect its skies, “regardless of where those drones are from — from Israel, from Iran, from anybody else.”

On top of that public warning to Israel, Jordan has also been privately sending messages to Jerusalem through the US and other countries asking that it take a different route if it goes ahead with plans to strike Iran, a senior Arab diplomat, an Israeli official and a Biden administration official tell The Times of Israel.

While it is unlikely that Jordan would actually shoot down an Israeli drone, missile or plane that entered its airspace, Amman fears that allowing such a strike to go ahead, particularly after helping thwart the Iranian attack, will expose it to retaliation from Tehran, the officials say.

Following Iran’s strike, the Islamic Republic threatened the Hashemite kingdom that it would be hit next if it acted against Iran.

Israel could go through Syria in order to strike Iran, but the quicker, more practical route would start through Jordan, given that it holds diplomatic ties with Amman and given that Jordan is less likely to tip off Iran that an attack is incoming.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.