The United States is considering leaving Patriot missiles batteries and F-16 fighters behind in Jordan after a multinational military exercise concludes there later this month. Fears of spillover from the Syrian civil war are driving the calculations:
If left in Jordan, Patriot missiles could be used to protect the country against any possible missile attack as the Syrian war threatens to widen into a more regional, sectarian conflict. There was no official statement suggesting the Patriots or the fighter jets would be withdrawn when the exercises are over and US officials left open the possibility they could remain in place.
A CENTCOM spokesman said that the assets may be left behind “to enhance the defensive posture and capacity of Jordan.” State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki described the potential deployment as a matter of simply “assist[ing] the Jordanian armed fores,” but insisted that “no decision has been made yet.”
For its part, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad warned that it could target the Patriot batteries left behind. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Joudeh responded with outrage on Thursday, and Amman threatened to expel the Syrian ambassador:
“The Syrian ambassador has breached all norms and diplomatic practices by his behavior … This is considered as a final warning to abide by the rules of diplomatic practice and to stop any meetings or statements that are deemed harmful to Jordan,’ Joudeh said… Jordanian officials told Reuters they took special offence to posts on social media networks by [Syrian ambassador] Suleiman warning that advanced Soviet-designed Alexander missiles could target the kingdom when the U.S. military deploys at least two Patriot missile batteries later this month. “This was almost like a war threat. This is totally unacceptable,” said one senior official.
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