News - Middle East: Following Iran’s retaliatory military operation against Israel last Saturday, the so-called “defensive military alliance” formed by the Zionist regime comprised an odd member.

Apart from the regular Western allies of the Tel Aviv regime, including the United States, Britain, and France, Jordan was also part of this ‘unholy alliance”.
As per reports, Jordan opened its airspace to the Israeli regime and its Western allies to down some of the Iranian drones at the risk of putting its own people in harm’s way.  
Being equipped with only about 60 older F-16 and F-5 aircraft, the Hashemite Kingdom lacks the capacity to independently intercept Iranian drones and missiles headed toward the occupied lands.
An Israeli media channel reported that Israeli fighter jets as well as French air defenses intercepted drones launched by Iran in the airspace of Jordan, drawing widespread anger and outrage.
Following the operation, which came in response to the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria, the Jordanian government issued a statement, vaguely admitting its role.
“Some unidentified flying objects that entered our airspace last night were dealt with and intercepted to prevent endangering the safety of our citizens and inhabited areas,” read the statement.
Jordan’s active involvement in intercepting some Iranian drones enraged people around the world who saw it as an act of betrayal especially at a time when Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
With more than 60 percent of Jordan’s population being of Palestinian descent, the Kingdom’s military cooperation with Israel is not only considered treacherous but cowardly.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal onslaught on Gaza, thousands of people have been protesting regularly outside the Israeli embassy in Amman, calling for a reversal of the 1994 Israel-Jordan treaty.
The kingdom has often resorted to the heavy use of force, arresting the protesters and exhibiting disdain for its commitments as an Arab-Muslim nation towards the Palestinian cause.
Jordan’s relations with Israel
Jordan’s opposition to Palestinian resistance became evident in 1970 when the Arab country massacred thousands of Palestinians. The tragic event called “Black September” was aimed at expelling the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan.
The expulsion was backed by then-King Hussein bin Talal, who reportedly received support from the Zionist regime and its Western backers.
In 1994, Jordan and Israel signed the Israel–Jordan peace treaty. Thus, Amman became the second Arab country after Egypt to recognize the occupying regime. Since then, the two sides have shared close diplomatic relations with Jordan practically consigning the Palestinian cause into oblivion.
On his visit to Jordan in 2016, former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the country’s Independence Day reception. He praised the close ties between Amman and Tel Aviv stating.
“Israel is proud to be Jordan’s partner and to stand at Jordan’s side…over the last year, your kingdom has played a critical role in dealing with the violence in Jerusalem which is holy to all of us.”
At an event in 2022, Jordan and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding on water and energy.
In January this year, Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawaneh said that peace with Israel remained a strategic choice for the kingdom, in complete disregard for Palestinians massacred in Gaza.