Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar and IDF Military Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder visited Jordan on Friday amid concerns the unrest in Syria could spill over to the Hashemite Kingdom.
Friday’s secret talks were held with Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni, director of the General Intelligence Department, and other senior Jordanian officials.
Jerusalem is worried that the overthrow of the Assad regime by Syrian rebel factions including terrorist elements led by the Sunni Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham could destabilize Jordan, which shares a 300-mile-long border with Israel, the Jewish state’s longest.
The talks come against the backdrop of fears in Jerusalem that extremist groups in Jordan could try to replicate the swift ouster of Bashar Assad by attempting to remove King Abdullah II from power.
There is also concern that Iran, with its Syrian smuggling route closed, will escalate the smuggling of weapons via Jordan to Palestinian terrorist groups in Judea and Samaria.
The IDF has bolstered security for Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and increased protection along major travel routes in the area amid concerns that Islamist groups, inspired by the Syrian rebels, will step up their terrorist attacks. Palestinian Authority security forces launched an operation targeting the Jenin camp on Saturday morning, dubbed “Homeland Defense.” Clashes also erupted in Tulkarm between P.A. forces and armed terrorists.
Top Israeli officials, including in the Security Cabinet, have discussed the possibility of what happened in Syria occurring in Jordan.
The Jordan visit “aimed to assess shared interests amidst the ongoing situation in Syria,” Israel Hayom reported.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, with the two countries continuing to coordinate on security matters despite periods of public hostility, which reached a peak during the current Gaza war precipitated by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
Amman is a central mediator between Jerusalem and the Syrian opposition groups seeking to form a transitional government after the toppling of the Assad regime, Walla reported.