Syrian truce relieves pressure on Jordan's border
Jordan pressured Syrian rebels to cede control of the southern province of Daraa and the strategic Nassib border crossing to Syria.
Jordan is welcoming the news that the Syrian army took control of the Nassib border crossing July 7, weeks after Syria and Russia launched a joint offensive to recapture the southern Syrian province of Daraa from rebel groups.
On July 8, The Jordan Times quoted a top military commander as saying the Syrian army’s success in regaining control of the crossing is a “positive development” for Jordan’s national security. Jordanian Brig. Gen. Khaled Massaid, the commander of the northern military region, told the paper that Syria is now in full control of its side of the Jaber/Nassib border crossing, after the Jordanian Armed Forces did its part while the border outpost was in the hands of “terrorist organizations.”
This was the first time Jordan has described rebel groups that took control of Nassib in 2015 as “terrorists,” although Amman closed the border crossing with Syria after that.
On July 5, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said there were 60,000 displaced Syrians at the Jordanian border. But according to Jordan, by July 8, after the truce, there were only 8,000 left at the borders. Massaid said on July 8 that "90% of the Syrians stranded on the border have returned to their homes.”
