Jordanian army says five killed in battle to stop Syrian drug smugglers

The kingdom has promised to respond to what it says is an alarming rise in such incursions, accusing Syria of failing to stem Iranian-run smuggling networks. Jordanian officials, like their Western allies, say the operations are controlled by Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and other pro-Iranian militias who control much of southern Syria after supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has lasted almost 13 years.

Jordan's army said on Saturday that five drug and weapons smugglers linked to Iranian militias operating in southern Syria had been killed after infiltrating from Syria. The kingdom has promised to respond to what it says is an alarming rise in such incursions, accusing Syria of failing to stem Iranian-run smuggling networks.

Jordanian officials, like their Western allies, say the operations are controlled by Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and other pro-Iranian militias who control much of southern Syria after supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has lasted almost 13 years. The army had earlier said it was pursuing large numbers of smugglers who had crossed the border before dawn in heavy fog.

Last month, Jordan reported clashes with dozens of infiltrators using drones and equipped with rocket launchers. And on Thursday, it launched air strikes against suspected smugglers' warehouses and hideouts in Syria, Jordanian and regional intelligence sources said.

"This continued threat to our national security won't end with one raid or confrontation ... It's a long war," Minister of Government Communications Muhannad Mubaidin told the public broadcaster Al Mamlaka. Syria denies cooperating with Iranian-backed militias on illicit activity, and Iran and Hezbollah say the smuggling allegations are a Western fabrication.

Washington has given Jordan around $1 billion to establish border posts since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, and has recently sent more military aid to improve border security, Jordanian officials say. Supplies of a Syrian-made amphetamine known as captagon reaching the Gulf states via Jordan are worth billions of dollars a year and finance a host of pro-Iranian and pro-government militias spawned by more than a decade of conflict in Syria, U.S. and European officials say.

Both Washington and the EU last year imposed sanctions on senior officials associated with Assad for alleged involvement in the trade, which they say is also a financial lifeline for his inner circle. Some Jordanian officials say that pro-Iranian militias in both Iraq and Syria, which have been attacking U.S. bases in the area, are also using the drug war to pile pressure on Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally that hosts hundreds of U.S. troops.

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