Jordan’s navy picks up Israeli trying to swim across border

LONDON: Jordan’s navy said on Sunday that it had arrested an Israeli national who attempted to cross into Jordanian territorial waters by sea on Saturday.

The person was trying to swim from Israel to Jordan, the Jordan News Agency reported, citing the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army.

Jordan and Israel share a short maritime border of less than 3 km across the Red Sea between Eilat and Aqaba. Their land border stretches about 480 km and includes territories in the West Bank, which Israel occupies.

Jordanian authorities did not provide any further details about the attempted crossing. The country announces several monthly infiltration attempts along its borders, mainly with Syria and Iraq. Illegal crossings from Israel are rare.

Criminal networks have long attempted to exploit Jordan’s geographic location in the heart of the Middle East as a transit point for smuggling drugs in the region. The navy affirmed its readiness to counter infiltration and smuggling attempts along its maritime borders and to prevent tampering with the country’s national security, the report said.