AMMAN – Jordan’s King Abdullah informed US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday a surge in West Bank violence threatened regional stability and requested for help to struggle a rising drug conflict alongside its borders with Syria blamed on Iranian-backed militias, Jordanian officers stated.
Austin arrived in Jordan earlier at the beginning of a Middle East tour that may also take him to Israel and Egypt in a present of help for its predominant regional allies in opposition to the rising menace posed by Iran, US officers stated.
He wrote on Twitter earlier than his departure that he would meet key leaders and “reaffirm the US commitment to regional stability and advancing the shared interests of our allies and partners.”
King Abdullah, whose nation hosted the primary Israeli-Palestinian assembly in Aqaba final week with the participation of prime US and Egyptian officers, stated efforts should be accelerated to convey a few complete Arab-Israeli peace deal primarily based on a two-state resolution.
“There is a need for calm and to reduce escalation in Palestinian territories and stop any unilateral steps that undermined stability and abort chances of attaining peace,” a palace assertion stated after the talks between the king and Austin.
In Israel, Austin may also elevate considerations concerning the violence within the West Bank that has alarmed Jordan and Arab leaders and talk about diplomatic efforts to scale back tensions forward of Muslim and Jewish non secular holidays, US officers stated.
The US Defense Department stated forward of the go to that discussions would give attention to the rising menace Iran poses to regional stability, and on advancing multilateral safety cooperation with built-in air and missile defenses.
Central to dialogue would be the “full constellation of Iran-associated threats..,” a senior protection official was quoted as saying on the Pentagon’s official website forward of the go to.
“Those threats include Iran’s arming, training and funding of violent proxy groups, aggression at sea, cyber threats, its ballistic missile program and drone attacks,” he added.
The king mentioned with Austin Jordan’s considerations over the rising entrenchment of Iranian-backed militias in southern Syria whom officers say have stepped up drug-smuggling operations by means of its borders to succeed in markets within the Gulf, a Jordanian official informed Reuters.
Amman desires extra US army help to bolster safety on the border, the place Washington has for the reason that greater than decade-long battle started given round $1 billion to ascertain border posts, Jordanian officers say. Jordan has a roughly 375 km-long border with Syria. —Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
