SUWAYDA, southern Syria- A Jordanian warplane carried out an overnight airstrike on an unfinished house in southern Syria near the village of Al-Shaab, in the far southeastern countryside of Suwayda province, destroying the structure but causing no reported casualties.
Our correspondent identified the targeted property as belonging to Mohammad Eid Al-Ramthan, a resident of the area. The strike occurred shortly after midnight and resulted in the complete demolition of the building, which was reportedly unoccupied.
The airstrike is part of an intensifying Jordanian military campaign against cross-border drug smuggling networks operating in Syria’s southern desert regions.
Over the past several years, the Jordanian Armed Forces have conducted multiple operations aimed at dismantling narcotics supply routes, particularly in areas such as Al-Shaab, Khirbet Awad, and southeastern Suwayda, known hubs for trafficking.
The region has become a focal point in the broader regional narcotics crisis, with smuggling routes extending from Syria into Jordan and further into the Gulf states.
Jordanian authorities have expressed growing concern over what they describe as the industrial-scale production and trafficking of drugs, most notably the amphetamine-like Captagon, on the Syrian side of the border.
Just over a week prior to the latest strike, Jordan’s army reported thwarting a major attempt to smuggle large quantities of narcotics across its northeastern border with Syria.
The Jordanian government has warned repeatedly that drug trafficking from Syria poses a direct threat to national and regional security, with officials pointing to increasing sophistication and coordination among smuggling groups.
