Amman (The Uttam Hindu): Jordan's Interior Minister Mazen Farrayah has announced the closure of the Jaber border crossing with Syria due to the security conditions in southern Syria. Under the decision, Jordanian citizens and trucks will be allowed to return to the kingdom, but outbound traffic to Syrian territories will be prohibited, according to a statement released by the Ministry on Friday.The Ministry said that Jordan is closely monitoring developments in Syria, while the armed forces continue to secure the borders, according to the statement. Located on the Damascus-Amman international highway, the Jaber crossing, which is known as the Nassib crossing in Syria, was the sole operational passenger and commercial border crossing between the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported. On Friday, clashes erupted near the Nassib crossing in Syria, where armed groups allegedly infiltrated the area and attacked Syrian army positions, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the crossing has been closed multiple times, starting in April 2015 when it remained shut for three years. It was reopened in October 2018. Jordan and Syria share two main border crossings. The Al-Gomruk Al-Qadim crossing, known as Ramtha on the Jordanian side, has been out of operation for years due to the Syrian conflict. The Nassib crossing, on the other hand, corresponds to Jordan's Jaber crossing, which has intermittently functioned amid the turmoil. In Syria, clashes between opposition forces and regime troops have intensified since November 27. By November 29, opposition forces captured Aleppo and subsequently gained control of Idlib province the following day. After securing Aleppo and Idlib, opposition forces took Hama on Thursday after fierce battles with regime forces.On Friday, opposition fighters began advancing into neighbourhoods in Homs, starting from the western al-Waer district, aiming to push toward the city's centre. In early December, the Syrian National Army launched "Operation Dawn of Freedom" to thwart attempts to establish a terrorist corridor between Tel Rifaat in Aleppo province and northeastern Syria. The operation succeeded in liberating Tel Rifaat from PKK/YPG terrorists.