Jordan army simulates battle with Israel in military exercise

The Jordanian army has held a “defensive” military exercise, attended by the country’s King Abdullah II, to simulate a possible battle with Israel.

The drills simulated a defensive maneuver in which the Arab country is “invaded” by the Israeli military, according to Jordanian news sources.

King Abdullah II, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, and several other senior Jordanian officials attended the war games.

The maneuver’s name is “Swords of Karama”, apparently named after Israel’s 1968 operation against the Palestinian resistance group Fatah, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reports.

Jordan fought alongside Fatah in that battle, which took place near the village of Karama.

Jordanian website Rumonline says "in light of deterioration of relations with the occupying entity [Israel] and the increasingly harsh tone of statements vis-à-vis Jordan... it seems that we will be waging a 'cool battle' with the occupier in the near future."

Earlier this month, King Abdullah II announced that the lease of two plots of land to Israel, under a bilateral deal signed almost a quarter of a century ago, had ended, and Jordan regained “full sovereignty” over the two regions.

Jordan reclaims sovereignty over two plots of land leased to Israel

Jordan’s King Abdullah II says the lease of two plots of land to Israel, under a bilateral deal signed almost a quarter of a century ago, has ended.

Israel and Jordan have maintained diplomatic relations since they signed the 1994 peace treaty. However, many Jordanians strongly oppose ties with Tel Aviv.

The Israeli mission in Amman was shut down following an incident in July 2017, when two Jordanians were gunned down by an embassy guard, prompting the return of the Israeli ambassador along with the killer to the occupied territories.

Last month, Amman withdrew its ambassador from Israel over the prolonged detention without trial of two Jordanian nationals. The ambassador went back to the occupied territories after the two were released.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk