Syrian state television said that “strikes by warplanes, likely Jordanian, targeted a headquarters containing weapons and drugs controlled by rebel gangs” in the village of Shahba in Suwayda. For its part, the Jordanian Armed Forces announced in a statement the implementation of a “deterrence operation” that targeted “a number of sites for arms and drug traffickers on the northern border front of the Kingdom.”

Published on: 05/03/2026 - 07:46 Last updated: 05/03/2026 - 11:06

Syrian state television announced that Jordanian raids targeted a headquarters containing weapons and drugs in the Suwayda Governorate, which has a Druze majority, parts of which are outside the control of the Damascus authorities.

State television added, quoting local sources, that "strikes by warplanes, likely Jordanian, targeted a headquarters containing weapons and drugs controlled by rebel gangs in the village of Shahba in Suwayda."

For its part, the Jordanian Armed Forces announced in a statement the implementation of a “deterrence operation” that targeted “a number of sites for arms and drug traffickers on the northern border front of the Kingdom.”

The statement added, "The armed forces will continue to deal proactively, decisively and deterrently with any threat that affects the security and sovereignty of the Kingdom."

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Local sources reported that a series of raids targeted at least five locations, one of which affected warehouses in the town of Arman.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that one of the raids targeted the vicinity of a local security headquarters near the city of Shahba, noting conflicting reports regarding the extent of the damage.

The manufacture and trade of Captagon pills flourished during the Syrian civil war and before the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, as they became one of the country's largest exports and constituted a major source of funding for the ousted president's government.

These narcotic pills invaded neighboring countries, which from time to time announced seizure operations and asked Lebanon and Syria to intensify efforts to combat them.

Targeting drug trafficking networks

Jordan previously launched raids on southern Syria to target drug smuggling networks.

Since the new authorities took power in Syria after the overthrow of Assad, Damascus and Amman have committed to combating drug trafficking on their borders.

Areas of the Suwayda Governorate bordering Jordan are controlled by armed Druze groups that are not affiliated with the authority in Damascus, including the city of Suwayda.

Some of the sites targeted by the Jordanian raids on Saturday are located within these areas, according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent

France 24/AFP

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