Jordan is Concerned that the Islamic Republic of Iran May Expand the Gaza War

Senior former Jordanian officials and a security source told Reuters that Jordan is concerned that the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxy groups may widen the Gaza war and draw it into various regions of the Middle East, prompting the country to request the deployment of advanced U.S. defensive weapons. Earlier, Reuters reported that the Jordanian army spokesman said on Sunday, October 29, that the country had asked the U.S. to deploy Patriot air defense systems in Jordan. The spokesman stated on the country's state television: 'We have asked the American side to assist in strengthening our defense system with Patriot air defense missile systems.' The report did not mention Iran by name according to Jordanian officials. On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned the Islamic Republic that if attacks by Iranian-backed militants on U.S. personnel in the Middle East continue, the United States would not hesitate to take further actions to protect its forces. He mentioned in the Senate that the U.S. had previously conducted precise airstrikes on a location used by the Revolutionary Guard and its affiliated groups in eastern Syria. Following previous warnings from U.S. officials, senior Iranian officials, including Ibrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the President and Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, have now denied that the Islamic Republic has proxy groups. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Houthis, another Iranian proxy group in Yemen, launched missiles and drones toward Israel, which were intercepted by Israeli air defense, eliminating the threat to Israeli civilians. Last week, Israel accused the Iranian-affiliated Houthi movement of launching drones that caused explosions in two cities in Egypt in the Red Sea, claiming they intended to attack Israel, but the drones exploded in Egypt. Iran's influence in Jordan's neighbors has increased over the past two decades. Since the start of the Gaza war, Iranian-backed militants have attacked U.S. forces in Iraq several times. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has also warned that the fire of the Israel-Hamas war is spreading to Syria. Following Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7, tensions and conflicts in the region have escalated. The United States, the European Union, Japan, and Israel have listed Hamas as a terrorist organization. A new wave of censorship in cyberspace; the judiciary has deemed 'any content' that supports Israel as a 'crime.' A police shooting in Paris of a veiled woman in the metro; police stated her behavior and remarks were 'threatening.' The Israeli army attacked Hamas militants inside Gaza tunnels. The UN Special Envoy stated: the Israel-Hamas war is spreading to Syria. The Houthis claim to have launched missiles and drones at Israel; Israel: we have intercepted two aerial threats. Ain al-Asad base was targeted in a drone attack.