The "Jordanian Deterrence – Hamoud" operation reveals the nature of the security challenges Jordan faces in light of the continued presence of ISIS cells and organizations that pose a direct threat to Jordan's security and are involved in arms and drug smuggling and trafficking in southern Syria. It confirms that protecting national security necessitates a firm approach to sources of threat when they are linked to targeting Jordanian citizens and the security of the Kingdom and sisterly Syria.
The airstrike carried out by the Royal Jordanian Air Force against terrorist organization hideouts in southeastern Syria, in retaliation for the martyrs of the Hamoud crime in Karak, carries military, security, and political dimensions related to the state's responsibility to protect its citizens, the necessity of confronting threats that affect both Jordan and Syria, and the importance of developing security partnership between the two countries.
The operation gains special importance in light of the continued activity of ISIS in Syria and the significant security risk and threat it poses to Jordan and Syria, given that its activity is linked to planning terrorist operations targeting Jordan, in addition to its involvement in arms and drug smuggling and trafficking. These activities place the organization at the core of cross-border threats, where terrorist operations overlap with organized crime networks, and extremist cells take advantage of areas suffering from security gaps to reorganize their ranks and expand their activities. A number of key axes emerge in this operation that explain its motives and implications and clarify the nature of the Jordanian approach in dealing with terrorist threats coming from Syrian territory.
The Airstrike and Coordination with Syria.. Protecting National Security and Pursuing Sources of Danger
The execution of the "Jordanian Deterrence – Hamoud" operation in coordination with the Syrian side represents an indicator of the importance of cooperation between the two countries in confronting cross-border threats, as Royal Jordanian Air Force fighters targeted hideouts of terrorist organizations in southeastern Syria, including ISIS strongholds and sites linked to arms and drug trafficking.
The importance of the strike stems from its connection to a crime that targeted Jordanians in Karak, and what investigations revealed regarding a direct link between the perpetrators of the crime and terrorist elements present in Syria. The Jordanian move came in the context of dealing with a threat whose extensions investigations had identified, and it targeted hideouts containing elements linked to these networks.
Coordination with the Syrian side carries an important political and security significance, as it allows for addressing threats within the framework of the relationship between the two states and enhances the chances of building a joint response that prevents the exploitation of borders and unstable areas in carrying out new attacks. It also confirms that combating terrorism and drug and arms smuggling represents a common interest, given the security damages inflicted on both countries as a result of the continuation of these activities.
The operation confirms that protecting Jordan requires dealing with sources of threat directly, in parallel with joint political and security work, to ensure that terrorist organizations are prevented from using Syrian territory as a launchpad to threaten the Kingdom.
The Link Between the Hamoud Village Cell and ISIS
The link between the elements of the Hamoud village cell and elements of ISIS in Syria constitutes one of the most prominent data points that explain the nature of the military operation and its objectives. According to the information provided in the data, investigations proved the existence of this connection, which revealed a security extension linked to sources of threat located outside Jordanian borders.
This result gains special importance in light of information regarding ISIS's involvement in planning terrorist operations against Jordan. The presence of the organization's elements in southern Syria, along with their connection to cells or elements active within the Kingdom, poses a challenge to security services that requires tracking organizational relationships, sources of support, communication, and planning, and identifying locations that could serve as support centers for terrorist operations.
Hence, the Jordanian strike came to target hideouts containing elements linked to these organizations, in the context of dealing with the sources of danger revealed by investigations, especially since the operation aimed to disrupt the capabilities of those elements and limit their ability to continue their activity, in the context of protecting Jordanian citizens and preventing the recurrence of attacks.
The danger of this connection multiplies when terrorist activity overlaps with arms and drug smuggling networks, as these activities provide financial resources, movement routes, and communications that armed groups can benefit from. Therefore, dismantling these networks requires continuous intelligence work, pursuing sources of funding and arming, and security coordination that identifies their extensions inside and outside Syria.
Why Was Jordan Compelled to Coordinate and Act?
The data related to the operation reveals a fundamental point represented by previous Jordanian warnings about the danger of ISIS and terrorist groups in southern Syria, and what they indicated regarding the lack of the required response from the Syrian side to the level of these risks.
This issue carries dimensions related to the responsibility of states to prevent the use of their territory as a launchpad to threaten the security of neighboring countries, and the importance of dealing early with security information and warnings. The continued presence of terrorist cells in areas close to the Jordanian border, despite warnings about their dangers, places Jordan before direct challenges related to protecting its citizens and preventing the recurrence of attacks.
The matter becomes more dangerous with the existence of data indicating ISIS's planning for terrorist operations against Jordan, in addition to its involvement in arms and drug smuggling and trafficking, which means that the danger is linked to networks moving across borders, combining terrorist goals and criminal interests, which threatens the security of society and the stability of the state and doubles the security burdens on both countries.
In this context, the coordination to carry out the strikes by the Jordanian army came as an expression of the necessity of dealing with the existing threat, in light of the crime witnessed in Karak and the links revealed by the investigations. The Jordanian move, according to the provided data, targeted hideouts that security information identified as having links to the terrorist organizations associated with the threat.
Here, the necessity of frankness between Amman and Damascus regarding mechanisms for responding to security warnings, and defining the responsibilities and procedures required to address hotbeds of terrorism, stands out. Relations between the two states need coordination that translates political understanding into field actions and ensures that threats are dealt with before they turn into new attacks.
The Continued Presence of ISIS.. A Common Security Threat to Jordan and Syria
The continued presence of ISIS cells in Syria represents a major security risk and threat to Jordan and Syria, given the cross-border nature of the organization and its ability to exploit security gaps and unstable areas to rebuild its networks, move its elements, and plan terrorist operations.
For Jordan, these risks gain double importance in light of information regarding the organization's planning for terrorist operations targeting the Kingdom, and the link between elements of the Hamoud cell and elements present in Syria. These data make the organization's activity in southern Syria an issue directly related to Jordanian national security, and necessitate the continued monitoring of its movements, pursuing its extensions, and disrupting its ability to plan and execute.
As for Syria, the presence of the organization represents a threat to its internal security, sovereignty, and the stability of its institutions, and hinders efforts to restore security in areas where extremist cells are active. ISIS poses a danger to Syrian society and the Syrian state, just as its involvement in arms and drug smuggling and trafficking contributes to expanding the scope of organized crime and weakening security and social stability.
The overlap of terrorism with arms and drug smuggling reveals a multi-dimensional threat network; extremist organizations benefit from smuggling routes and funding sources, while organized crime networks exploit the weakness of security oversight to expand their activities. This relationship leads to enhancing the capabilities of armed groups to move, hide, and reorganize their ranks.
Hence, confronting ISIS requires an integrated strategy that combines intelligence work, security pursuit, border control, and targeting funding and smuggling networks. It also requires Jordanian-Syrian cooperation that ensures the exchange of information and rapid response to warnings, and prevents the organization from exploiting any gaps in coordination between the two countries.
Jordanian-Syrian Partnership.. A Strategic Necessity to Confront Terrorism and Protect Stability
Despite the gravity of security threats and Jordanian warnings about the activity of terrorist groups in southern Syria, the relationship with sisterly Syria remains a strategic necessity for Jordan, by virtue of geography, intertwined interests, and historical ties between the two peoples. The stability and security of Syria are directly linked to the security of Jordan, and the ability of both countries to confront terrorism and arms and drug smuggling is enhanced through coordination, cooperation, and information exchange.
Hence, the "Jordanian Deterrence – Hamoud" operation should be dealt with within a framework that combines firmness in protecting Jordanian national security with maintaining the partnership with Damascus. Jordan is concerned with confronting any threat that targets its citizens, just as Syria is concerned with preventing terrorist organizations from using its territory to plan operations against Jordan or threaten its internal security.
This requires developing security coordination mechanisms, establishing permanent communication channels to deal with urgent warnings, exchanging intelligence information, pursuing terrorism, drug, and arms networks, and defining the necessary procedures to prevent the recurrence of attacks. It also requires a practical response to Jordanian warnings, which enhances mutual trust and prevents southern Syria from becoming an environment exploited by extremist groups.
This partnership is based on broader interests that include trade, transport, energy, and water, as well as revitalizing economic ties and enhancing regional stability. Security forms a necessary foundation for cooperation in these areas, while economic and social stability provide broader opportunities to reduce the environments exploited by extremist groups and organized crime networks.
Confronting the ISIS organization represents a common Jordanian-Syrian interest, because its continued presence threatens the security of both countries, weakens opportunities for stability, and allows terrorist and criminal groups to continue their activities across borders. Therefore, what is required is to transform political understanding into an effective security partnership based on exchanging information, responding to warnings, pursuing cells, drying up sources of funding, and controlling arms and drug smuggling routes.
In conclusion, the "Jordanian Deterrence – Hammoud" operation confirms that protecting Jordanian national security is a top priority that necessitated firmness in confronting sources of threat, and that the continued presence of ISIS in southern Syria constitutes a common danger to Jordan and Syria, in light of the organization's involvement in planning terrorist operations against the Kingdom and its links to arms and drug smuggling networks. At the same time, the partnership with sisterly Syria remains a strategic necessity to address these challenges, provided that it is based on effective security coordination and a practical response to risks, in a way that protects Jordan, supports Syria's stability, and prevents terrorist organizations from threatening the security of both countries and the future of the region.
