KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he was in Jordan as part of a whirlwind tour of the Middle East, during which he has signed defence agreements with Gulf states. &quot;Today in Jordan. Security is the top priority and it is important that all partners make the necessary efforts toward it. Ukraine is doing its part. Important meetings ahead,&quot; Zelensky said on X. The visit comes after Ukraine -- which has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations -- agreed to cooperate on defence with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian anti-drone experts have been deployed to all three countries since Iran responded to US-Israeli aerial bombardments that began more than one month ago. A Ukrainian team is also in Jordan, a senior official told AFP earlier this month on the condition of anonymity, without elaborating. Ukraine uses a mix of cheap drone interceptors, electronic jamming tools and anti-aircraft guns to down Russian drones. It has proposed swapping its interceptors for the expensive air-defence missiles that US allies in the region are currently using to down Iranian drones.

Middle East

Europe

Volodymyr Zelensky visits Jordan as part of a Middle East tour, securing defence cooperation deals with Gulf states and offering Ukraine’s anti-drone expertise amid regional tensions.

Ukraine's Zelensky says visiting Jordan for 'security' talks

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<div id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2;">ISLAMABAD: US and allied forces carried out &ldquo;large-scale&rdquo; strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead.</div> Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra &mdash; home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters &mdash; that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. &ldquo;The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria&rdquo; and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched &ldquo;in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra,&rdquo; US Central Command said in a statement on X, using an acronym for the jihadist group.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2010089772120002721&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a555e0839506d554b9f8f5179cd37236169c3a89&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 225px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2010089772120002721"></iframe></div></div>Jordan strikesJordan&#39;s air force also carried out targeted air strikes against IS as part of the operation, its military said on Sunday. It said in a statement it struck &quot;a number of targets... in several areas within Syria territory&quot;. The United States and Jordan carried out a previous round of strikes as part of the same operation last month, hitting dozens of Islamic State group targets. The Palmyra attack was the first such incident since the overthrow of Syria&rsquo;s longtime ruler, Bashar al-Assad, in December 2024. The US personnel who were targeted were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international effort to combat the Islamic State group, which seized swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014. The jihadists were ultimately defeated by local ground forces backed by international airstrikes and other support, but the group still has a presence in Syria, especially in the country&rsquo;s vast desert regions. US President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of Washington&rsquo;s presence in Syria, ordering the withdrawal of troops during his first term but ultimately leaving American forces in the country. The Pentagon announced in April that the United States would halve the number of US personnel in Syria in the following months, while US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said in June that Washington would eventually reduce its bases in the country to one.

Americas

US and allied forces struck an Islamic jihadist group in Syria in response to a deadly Palmyra attack, the US said. Jordan’s air force also carried out targeted strikes on multiple sites inside Syria.

US announces 'large-scale' strikes against IS in Syria

MANAMA:&nbsp;Jordan and Germany said on Saturday that an international force expected to support a future Palestinian police in Gaza under US President Donald Trump&#39;s post-war governance plan should have a UN mandate. Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by the war. &lsquo;Security Council mandate&rsquo;The so-called international stabilization force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan, as well as secure border areas and prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. &quot;We all agree that in order for that stabilization force to be able to be effective in getting the job done, it has to have a Security Council mandate,&quot; Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. Jordan, however, will not be sending its own forces to the Strip. &quot;We&#39;re too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza,&quot; Safadi said, adding his country was nonetheless ready to cooperate with the international force. &lsquo;Clear basis in international law&rsquo;Safadi was speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who also supported a UN mandate for the force, saying it would &quot;need a clear basis in international law&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;We understand that this is of utmost importance to those countries who might be willing to send troops to Gaza and for the Palestinians. Germany would also want to see a clear mandate for this mission,&quot; Wadephul said. &lsquo;a US-led occupation&rsquo;&nbsp;The idea of the stabilization force has drawn some criticism, with UN experts last month warning it would &quot;replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination&quot;. The UN has mandated international peacekeeping forces in the region for decades, including UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, which is currently working with the Lebanese army to enforce a November 2024 ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

The idea of the stabilization force has drawn some criticism, with UN experts last month warning it would 'replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination'.

Jordan, Germany say international force in Gaza needs UN mandate

ISLAMABAD: Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Amman on Wednesday for an official visit to Jordan, shortly after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential area in Doha on September 9, &nbsp;an act Qatar condemned as a violation of its sovereignty.&nbsp;The emir was warmly received by King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, and senior Jordanian officials at the airport. The two leaders held formal talks at Basman Palace, where they discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in political, economic, and regional matters.&nbsp;According to a statement from Qatar&rsquo;s foreign ministry, King Abdullah II welcomed the Emir and hailed the visit as a step toward further strengthening &quot;the fraternal relations and fruitful cooperation between the two nations.&quot; He expressed hope that Qatar-Jordan ties would continue to develop for the benefit of both peoples.&nbsp;In response, Emir Tamim expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and reaffirmed Qatar&rsquo;s commitment to its partnership with Jordan.&nbsp;Notably, King Abdullah expressed Jordan&rsquo;s full solidarity with Qatar following the Israeli strike on its capital, calling it a &quot;treacherous attack&quot; and voicing support for Qatar&rsquo;s right to defend its sovereignty. He also praised Doha&rsquo;s continued efforts to promote regional and international peace and stability.&nbsp;Qatar and Jordan share deep-rooted diplomatic, cultural, and economic ties, with both nations often working together on issues of regional security, Palestinian rights, and cooperation within the Arab League and Islamic world.

Qatari Emir arrived in Jordan for an official visit shortly after Israel’s strikes in Doha.

Articles tagged with "Jordan"

Ukraine's Zelensky says visiting Jordan for 'security' talks

US announces 'large-scale' strikes against IS in Syria

Jordan, Germany say international force in Gaza needs UN mandate

Qatar emir visits Jordan amid tensions after Israeli strike on Doha