A Jordanian man was killed in a shootout with security forces after opening fire near the Israeli Embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman early on Sunday, according to Jordan’s state news agency Petra.
The gunman fired on a police patrol in the city’s Rabieh district and then attempted to flee the scene, according to the report. Pursuing officers engaged the individual in a firefight, killing him. Three officers were wounded during the incident and were transported to the hospital, with their condition reported to be moderate.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
“The shooting incident that occurred today in the Rabieh area is considered a terrorist attack on the Public Security Forces performing their duty,” Jordan’s government communication minister said, adding that the country’s “stability and security are a red line, and no one will be allowed to tamper with it.”
Jordan, which is home to a significant Palestinian population, has seen heightened anti-Israel sentiment since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza. The area around the Israeli Embassy has become a focal point for frequent protests against Israel.
Israel’s ambassador to Jordan, Rogel Rachman, vacated his post and returned to Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre.
In March, riot police clashed with hundreds of Jordanians protesting near the Israeli Embassy in Amman, according to media reports.
Demonstrators reportedly chanted, “No Zionist embassy on Jordanian land,” while others shouted, “We want to go to the borders and kill and kidnap Zionist soldiers. Revenge ... revenge ... Oh Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv.”
In October, Jordanian terrorists wounded two Israelis, one moderately and one lightly, in a shooting attack at Moshav Neot HaKikar in the northern Arava area, just south of the Dead Sea, after infiltrating the border.
A Jordanian murdered three Israeli border guards at the Allenby Bridge border crossing in September.
Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994, but the accord is unpopular in Jordan and has been marked by hostile attitudes and occasional flare-ups, although the two countries coordinate on security and bilateral trade.
