The 'Ready Lion' Exercise Begins in Jordan with Military Forces from 33 Countries

The Jordanian army announced the start of the 'Ready Lion' exercise with the participation of ground, naval, and air forces from 33 countries. According to AFP, Israel will not participate in this exercise, which includes 10 Arab countries and 22 non-Arab countries, including the USA, UK, and France. Mustafa Al-Hiyari, a spokesperson for the Jordanian army, stated in a press conference that the exercise, which includes anti-terrorism training and air defense, will conclude on Thursday, May 23 (3rd of Khordad). He mentioned that the aim of 'Ready Lion' is to assist in combating 'terrorist organizations' and to respond to the 'proliferation of drones and weapons of mass destruction, including biological, chemical, and nuclear,' as well as major disasters and to 'counter emerging and transnational threats in this period.' The spokesperson added that this is the 'largest' exercise since the first round was held in 2011. The 'Ready Lion' exercise is taking place amid unprecedented regional tensions and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as sporadic clashes between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. Jordan, along with the USA, UK, and France, assisted in intercepting and destroying drones and missiles fired by the Islamic Republic towards Israel last month. Despite this, the Jordanian army spokesperson stated that this exercise 'has nothing to do with regional developments.' In recent years, Jordan has been combating drug traffickers in Syria. The country claims that drug dealers have direct connections with Iranian-backed militias and transport drugs, weapons, and explosives across the Syrian border. Traffickers have increasingly used Jordan as a key route for smuggling Captagon amphetamine pills from Syria, mainly to oil-rich Arab Gulf countries. Other participating countries in the 'Ready Lion' exercise include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Poland, Japan, Norway, Romania, and Australia. Mohammad Qaedi: Jordan is concerned about the 'Ghazafication' of the West Bank by the Islamic Republic. Blinken: The US-Saudi security agreement for normalizing relations with Israel is in its final stages. Jordan warned of the risk of a 'devastating war' in the Middle East. Fox News report: Documents from the Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization regarding the activities of a secret drone site in northern Qom. Continued US and Jordanian participation in humanitarian aid to Gaza residents; ready meals for civilians.