By Raed Omari, Al Arabiya
There is seemingly no sign of dramatic change in Jordan’s long-held neutral position towards the ongoing violence in Syria in the near future despite the increasing border security concerns and refugees burdens, yet there might be.
Since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011, Jordan has been showing a neutral position marked primarily with a diplomatic caution towards the turmoil sweeping its northern neighbor, cunningly avoiding antagonizing the Bashar al-Assad regime and the Syrian dissidents as well, despite pressure from internal and external powers – mainly the Islamists, the U.S. and the Gulf states – to toughen its public posture towards Damascus.
It is certain that the official Jordanian rhetoric towards Syria, which has been so far advocating a political solution, will remain unchanged – at least for a while – but with a rising border escalation, excessively growing influx of refugees and, surprisingly, a pressing demand by deputies to turn decisive, this long-held position might change.
Over the last week and on, Syrian rebels have been reported to be engaging in fierce clashes with the government forces in the southern province of Daraa – the birthplace of Syria 2011 uprising – with the rebels reportedly capturing a strategic town near the Jordanian-Syrian border.
Jordan’s security officials and residents of the Jordanian city of Ramtha on the border with Daraa have been reporting heavy gunfire near the southern Syrian city of Nasib over the last week amidst reports of mortar shells falling on some Jordanian villages along the border.
Similar incidents of Syrian mortar fire falling across the 375-kilometre Jordanian-Syrian border have been reported over the past two years.
Moreover, a Free Syrian Army coordinator was quoted in a Jordanian news agency as saying that the clashes are part a wider offensive on regime positions along the border planned for this week. “Next week [this week] will be a true battle for southern Syria.”
Jordan, already anxious about security concerns, a Damascus retribution and, more importantly, the possibility of radical groups taking power in Syria, would not probably remain “silent” and tolerate seeing its borders with Syria turning into chaos and open for extremists who have “ambitious plans and postponed agenda.”
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Jordan, Syria