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Shara’a is visiting Jordan following comments by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that southern Syria should be demilitarized.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN FEBRUARY 24, 2025 18:10 Updated: FEBRUARY 24, 2025 18:11
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, speaks to the media during a meeting with Qatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, in Damascus, Syria, December 23, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
According to reports, the new president of Syria, Ahmad al-Shara’a, will travel to the Kingdom of Jordan on Wednesday to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah.
This is an important meeting because the countries share a common border and have common interests. During the Syrian civil war, the Kingdom hosted almost a million Syrians and also helped support Syrian rebels in southern Syria.
Jordanian officials stated that Shara’a would visit, as reported by local media, including Jordan’s state media and the Petra News Agency.
The visit marks the Syrian leader’s third foreign trip in the past month. He became president of the transitional government in January after assuming power on December 8 when the Assad regime collapsed. He has traveled to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Turkey being Syria’s northern neighbor. Historically, Saudi Arabia has been one of the leaders in the Arab and Muslim world.
Shara’a's visit to Jordan follows comments by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that southern Syria should be demilitarized. This has raised concern and protests in Syria, as southern Syria is a crucial region.
During the last decade, it has had Syrian rebels who controlled it until 2018. An ISIS affiliate named Jaish Khalid also once controlled areas near Jordan and Israel’s Golan border. In additio,n Hezbollah and pro-Iran militias operated in the Golan and Quneitra area.
Beyond the initial border area, there is Dara’a, which was one of the centers of the Syrian rebellion. After Dara’a, there is the countryside, followed by the Druze area of Jebel Druze and Suwayda. This area has been seeking more autonomy. Beyond the Druze area is an area called Tanf and Rukban near the Iraq-Jordanian border. The US has forces in Tanf.
In January, the US Army put out photos of US Army Lt. Col. Ross Daly, the Al-Tanf Garrison commander assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, Task Force Armadillo, discussing security and civil concerns with Syrian Free Army commander Col. Abu Turki and local Bedouin leaders.
Therefore, this whole swath of southern Syria is important for security. It is important to prevent an ISIS resurgence and also to prevent Iranian militias from regrowing tentacles. In addition, gangs had used this area to move drugs, primarily caption. This threatened Jordan’s security and led to some firefights in the border region.
Demands for demilitarization
The Israeli demands for demilitarization are raising eyebrows in Damascus. Israel has also occupied areas in a buffer zone on the Golan border ceasefire line with Syria. This has the potential to anger the new Syrian government. It will want support from Jordan on securing southern Syria. It might discuss the Druze and US presence. These are key issues.
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“Shara’a is expected to hold wide-ranging talks over border security and ways of expanding commercial ties,” Arab News reported.
“Shara’a has pledged to stamp out rampant drug smuggling along the two countries’ borders, which proliferated during the rule of toppled Assad and whom Jordan blamed on pro-Iranian militias that held sway in southern Syria.” The report notes Jordan hosted an international conference on Syria after Assad was overthrown.
“Officials have said they were ready to help Syria rebuild and promised to help it ease its acute power shortages by supplying it with electricity and gas,” Arab News noted. Shara’a has also been invited to Egypt, where an Arab League meeting is expected.
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