Jordanian King Abdullah has expressed concern that Iran and its affiliates will fill the vacuum in southern Syria, leaving behind Russian military forces following the war in Ukraine.
In an interview published today in the United States last week with former National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster at Stanford University, Abdullah was asked how to deal with the "Iran problem" and its ongoing efforts to "export the revolution" and threaten Israel through its affiliates.
The King of Jordan, who has since returned to his country, replied: "I think it is happening through various channels. Saudi Arabia is reaching out to the Iranians. The Gulf states have a dialogue. I'm not sure how much of this is a strategy or tactic from the Iranian point of view. "But we have security challenges. We see border attacks on a regular basis - and we know who is behind it."
Russian special forces in Syria // Photo: Reuters // Russian special forces in Syria // Photo: Reuters,
"One of the issues we are learning at this point is that the presence of the Russians in southern Syria has been a source of calm," Abdullah noted.
"The Russians have promised that we will not get into conflict. This vacuum will be filled by the Iranians and their proxies. So unfortunately we are expecting, perhaps, an escalation of the problems within our borders."
Abdullah also said he "hopes that the dialogue between Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and the United States with Iran will bring it to a better place, but he does not see it on the ground at the moment."
Abdullah also said in response to a question about the war in Ukraine and how it affected the Middle East, that from a Jordanian point of view, the Russians on our border in Syria and that is part of our calculation. The Russians also played a role in the Quartet (International Quartet; As international players.
It will be interesting to see the situation after the war in Ukraine, when the Russians are not in Syria.
"I know this gap is being filled by the Iranians, and it is likely to cause insecurity in the region."
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