Jordan behind attack that killed drug trafficker in Syria

Jordan strikes Iran-linked drugs factory in southern Syria

On Monday, Jordan carried out sporadic airstrikes on southern Syria, killing a smuggler and destroying a narcotics plant with ties to Iran, according to local and intelligence sources.

According to the sources, one missile targeted a narcotics facility in Syria’s southern Deraa region that was tied to the Hezbollah organisation, a Syrian government ally that receives support from Iran.

Marie al-Ramthan, the head of the Syrian drug trade, and his family were killed in a separate attack on the town of Shaab in the neighbouring province of Sweida, close to the Jordanian border.

The facility and Ramthan’s house were both left in rubble, according to Ryan Marouf, a Syrian researcher who studies the drug trade.

According to Marouf, who was corroborated by informed local sources, the drugs facility in the Deraa town of Kharab al Shahem was thought to have served as a gathering place for Hezbollah-funded smugglers.

According to Jordanian and regional security sources, Ramthan, a significant drug trafficker in southern Syria, has enlisted hundreds of Bedouin transporters to join the militias with ties to Iran that are in control of the area.

According to judicial authorities, he had already received many death sentences from Jordanian courts in absentia for narcotics trafficking.

The two drug-related targets were struck by Jordanian war planes in a rare operation inside Syria since the conflict’s start more than ten years ago, according to two regional intelligence agencies and a Western diplomatic source who monitors the situation in southern Syria.

In response to a question during a press conference, Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, denied to admit that his nation had carried out the strike.

“Whenever we take any protective measures

Captagon is a cheap amphetamine that Western and Arab powers claim is produced in and supplied by war-torn Syria. Jordan serves as both a destination and a major transit route to the oil-rich Gulf nations.

The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad denies involvement in drug production and trafficking. According to Iran, the accusations are a part of Western conspiracies to harm the nation.

Hezbollah also denies involvement in the drug trade and claims Jordan’s accusations are an extension of Washington’s effort to weaken Iran’s regional influence.

The event happened just a few days after Safadi promised to attack within Syria if Damascus did not stop the flow of contraband. According to Safadi, the Gulf nations as well as Jordan were at risk from the Iran-linked drug war.

According to two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the strikes were a warning to Damascus that it should not misinterpret Amman’s resolve at the time it was leading an Arab initiative to end Syria’s estrangement.

In recent security discussions with Syrian authorities, Jordanian officials claim they had expressed their concerns about the growth in drug smuggling. They received assurances, but had not observed any actual efforts to halt the traffic.  Marie al-Ramthan  Marie al-Ramthan