by Taylor Luck, JORDAN TIMES

AMMAN/MAFRAQ — Brief clashes erupted between Jordanian and Syrian border forces on Friday, security sources claim, as hundreds of Syrians fled to Jordan.

A member of the Syrian National Defence Forces (NDF) patrols the Christian-dominated village of Ghassaniyeh in the countryside of the rebel city of Qusayr on Saturday (AFP photo)

The brief 15-minute firefight erupted along the countries’ shared border early Friday when an errant missile landed near a Jordanian patrol convoy, according to the military source, who is not authorised to speak to the press.

No injuries were reported.

The incident marked the third alleged clash between Jordanian and Syrian border forces over the past month, as Damascus ramps up its aerial offensive along the 370-kilometre border.

As part of the month-long offensive, designed to recapture rebel strongholds throughout southern Syria, dozens of rockets have landed near Jordanian border villages such as Sama Sarhan in the Eastern Badia, residents and security sources say, placing the northern region on “high alert”.

The rise in tensions has led authorities to place military units on “high alert” across the northern region, according to security sources, with residents of border towns and villages reporting several new blockades and checkpoints erected over the past two months.

Meanwhile, violence continued to intensify across southern Syria on Friday and Saturday, driving over 3,000 refugees into Jordan over the weekend.

Damascus stepped up its bombing campaign on Friday, with Syrian rebel officials reporting heavy shelling in the border villages of Khirbet Ghazal, Al Jaa, Almaa, Tal Shihab and the southern city of Daraa.

Some 1,500 Syrians crossed into Jordan early Friday and over 1,700 on Saturday, according to the Jordan Armed Forces, as the bombing campaign continued to drive thousands from their homes.

According to rebel officials, some 40,000 residents of southern Syria have been driven from their homes since the beginning of the month-long military offensive, with reports of 20,000 displaced persons currently amassed along the Jordanian-Syrian border.

Jordan has opened its borders to over 530,000 Syrians since the onset of the conflict in March 2011, a number UN officials expect to surpass 1.2 million before the end of the year.

Jordan has urged the UN Security Council to take action to address the emerging humanitarian crisis, noting that hosting the refugee community is set to cost Amman over $1.5 billion this year alone.

With over 50,000 Syrians pouring into Jordan per month, officials say the refugee community may account for over 40 per cent of the country’s population by 2014.

http://jordantimes.com/brief-clashes-erupt-along-jordanian-syrian-border