Jordan’s military confirmed on Thursday that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed eight missiles fired from Iran that breached the kingdom’s airspace, the latest in a series of Iranian projectiles transiting over Jordanian territory.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement that air raid sirens were activated across multiple provinces as the missiles entered the country’s airspace from the east. The military said its systems engaged and neutralized all eight projectiles before they could reach populated areas.
Pattern of Missile Interceptions
The interception marks at least the fourth time in recent weeks that Jordan has been forced to shoot down Iranian missiles traversing its airspace. On July 29, Jordanian air defenses destroyed five Iranian missiles, and on July 17, three missiles were intercepted in a single incident. The repeated incidents have raised concerns about the kingdom’s exposure to spillover from the wider US-Iran conflict.
Jordan’s government has repeatedly condemned both Iran for firing missiles through its airspace and called on all parties to exercise restraint. The kingdom hosts significant US military assets, including the Azraq air base, which has itself been a target of Iranian strikes in recent months.
Escalation Amid Broader Gulf Tensions
The missile firings come amid an intensifying confrontation between the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and broader Gulf security. Earlier on Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that three of its personnel were killed in US airstrikes targeting southwestern Khuzestan province, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
Explosions were also reported in the territorial waters off Bandar Abbas, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian media reporting that air defense systems were activated in the port city. The incidents underscore the expanding geographic scope of the US-Iran confrontation, which has increasingly drawn in neighboring states.
The UK’s Minister for the Middle East described Iran’s attacks on Gulf partners as a serious escalation and a clear violation of international law, reflecting growing Western alarm at the widening conflict. More than 20 US warships are currently patrolling Middle Eastern waters in what Washington describes as an effort to maintain freedom of navigation.
Sources: Jordan Armed Forces statement; IRNA news agency; UK Foreign Office; Euronews
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