It seems the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan was the target of a bomb attack on his car earlier today (6pm). The AFP reports:
JERUSALEM — Israel’s ambassador to Jordan escaped unharmed in a bomb attack on his car in Jordan on Thursday, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement.
“In the afternoon there was a bomb attack on the car of the ambassador. There were no injuries and the convoy continued on its way,” the ministry said. It said Jordanian authorities were investigating the incident.
“The Israeli embassy convoy left Amman and was headed for the Hussein bridge when the blast occurred,” an Israeli diplomat told AFP in Amman by telephone, referring to the crossing between between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, also known as Allenby bridge. The bridge stands about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Amman.
Israeli diplomats often travel home on Thursdays, the start of the Muslim weekend in Jordan, and return on Sundays to Jordan, which has had a peace treaty with the Jewish state since 1994. [source]
Information is still fairly limited at this time and local news is not covering it. Ammon News however has been quick to gather some interesting reports, one of which indicates that the blast was actually two roadside bombs that blew up in the Adaseeyeh area, which is actually a bit further up from the actual bridge and closer to Amman (I believe it’s technically in the Amman governorate). Ammon is also reporting that the former Israeli ambassador was also a passenger along with the current ambassador and another Israeli diplomat.
8:20pm: Israeli press is all over this story.
Haaretz is reporting that the Israeli ambassador was NOT in the motorcade of diplomats. However, Al Jazeera claims otherwise. The newspaper also claims that the Israeli Defense Force (better known as the Israeli Occupational Force here in Jordan) entered the Kingdom alongside Jordanian security. This is a bit confusing as I would imagine that happening only if the attack took place right near the bridge, and at this point the exact location isn’t exactly clear.
Ynet is reporting the blast happened 20km away from the bridge. If this is true then the IDF did seem to enter deep into Jordanian territory.
With what’s been happening lately in Jordan regarding terrorism, I am hoping this is not a backlash. That’s the last thing we need. Moufaq Mahadin of Arab Al Yawm is on Al Jazeera right now (8:43pm) criticizing Jordan’s role with the CIA-mukhabarat fiasco that has dominated local politics the past week or so.
8:54pm: Jordanian media seems to be officially reporting this now, with the news getting a brief mention on the 8pm nightly news and on Al Ghad’s site in the past half hour.
9:07pm: According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli embassy in Amman is on a 24-hour lock-down with employees not being able to leave without a security escort. Interestingly enough, the Post also calls it one of the most highly guarded Israeli embassies in the world. I don’t doubt that at all. The Post, along with other Israeli media, seem to be looking to Hizballah for responsibility of this attack, deemed to be a feared attempt to avenge the February 2007 assassination of Hizbullah’s Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus.
10:33pm: Ammon has been putting up a few low-quality shots of the blast site where, according to AFP, the bomb left a crater 10 centimeters (four inches) deep and 80 centimeters (32 inches) wide.
10:44pm: Better resolution pictures have been published by Reuters and the Associated Press…
11:03pm: Ynet, via al-Arabiya, is reporting that a taxi driver has been arrested as a suspect in the bombing. Ammon is also reporting this, adding that the suspect was nabbed after a police chase. That was pretty quick.
11:48pm: Jordanian foreign minister, Naser Judeh’s phone call to the Israeli ambassador, Danny Nevo – who it seems was definitely not in the convoy – is being reported by Haaretz now but they seem to be a bit behind on the news of the aforementioned taxi driver. Interestingly enough, Haaretz points out that this is the first time a road side bomb has been used in Jordan to target someone, with shooting being more of the Jordanian style. Let’s hope it’s the last.
02:36am: While the aressted taxi driver’s involvement is still under investigation, Israeli press has been concluding that more arrests will follow given the intricate nature of the attack – blaming Islamic extremists for the act (be they Hizballah, Hamas or Al-Queda). Jordan’s Al-Ghad seems to agree, quoting a senior official in the security apparatus as saying the attack could be attributed to Al-Queda. At this point any drawn conclusions are speculative at best, and one should be cautious of any eagerness by the Jordanian GID to tie this to an organization that embarrassed them a few days ago. The senior official also seems to point to the possibility of Al-Queda attempting to send a message that it has the capability to breach the GID’s legendary security grip.
Haaretz is calling this an attack of “good intelligence” but “poor execution.
More importantly, they also highlight that this is the second security breach for the GID (mukhabarat) in a month, which must be a historic record for the Kingdom. One can only help but wonder whether metaphoric heads will begin to the role at the mukhabarat soon, beginning with a resignation at the top:
Jordan’s security services, which control the country by taking stringent measures against terrorism and against those considered enemies of the royal family, began investigating the incident yesterday. It can be assumed that they are receiving assistance from Israeli intelligence. Security ties between the two countries are close, despite the periodic tensions between King Abdullah and Israeli government leaders. From the Jordanians’ point of view, they have failed at providing security to the Israeli representatives. This is Jordan’s second serious incident of terrorism against a friendly state in recent weeks. [source]
The story does not make any logic, fabrications and misinformatiion are part and parcel of the zionist criminal entity
well it sure is one hell of a week for jordan.
@the free jordanian: conspiracies aside, what do you think doesn’t make sense?
@bambam: make that two weeks!
My hope is that this is an isolated incident, although I highly doubt it. With the recent escalation in the Jordanian involvement in both sides of the war on terrorism, this might be just the tip of the hell-berg. Regardless of who is the target, this indecent indicates that some factions have imported the IED technology to be used within Jordan borders. With security tightened around diplomatic missions and sensitive targets, my fear is that we’ll be seeing this moving to soft targets and innocents Jordanians being the victims.
We as Jordanians need to be aware of this succession and escalation, and fight this with all our might. I do NOT want to get to a point where I fear for the safety of my own family members going to the shops or school. Jordan cannot withstand or tolerate that!
ألله ÙŠØمي ألأردن وشعب ألأردن ويقوي سواعد رجال ألأمن ألساهرة على Øماية ألأردن وصدق من قال كلنا ألأردن.
Unfortunately as Israel continues its vicious and brutal treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, with the support or tolerance of the US, both Jordanian and Expats can just expect more violence from desperate and angry people called terrorists. Jordan has been an amazing haven of tolerance but much simmers beneath the surface. Many Jordanians live in unreality, ignoring the grievous problems and worry about their cars and clothes, while impoverished Palestinians, Iraqis, etc. starve across the street.
In the wake of all this gloom and doom I am surprised that your Forum should chose to ignore today’s HEADLINE story of the Kings visit to meet his beloved uncle at rss. Just look at ammoun and see what people are saying there…………
Thanks
Verry worrying…God be with our country. Also thanks for having the latest scoop Nas!
a chance for the gid to redeem themselves i guess
Lol, was the plan that the driver would freak out and end up driving the car off the cliff?!
Well, thankfully no one got hurt, and hopefully no one will unnecessarily get hurt after this.
so its those guys who are carrying out the investigation?? youve got to be kidding me, looks like they are gathered round sidir mansaf
I am reasonable in beginning to question the GID’s image visa vis the reality of its abilities? do you really beleive we are the best of the best? i mean, lets face it jordanians are not hard workers, generally, we have a problem of WORK ETHICS, why would our intelligence be so different. i dont know, thier image of being so high and mighty just doesnt seem so accurate juxtaposed to other jordanian industries or services
i aint hating btw
I must say,nice strategy to change the security measures in Jordan+ the people who are involved in that security.
As someone told me, reminds me of the bombs the Israelies used to put infront of hte synagoges in Lebanon to force the Israeli mass to migrate to Palestine
The only possible culprit in this is the Israeli Mossad with the cooperation of the GID–No possibility any group is capable of doing this except them. The objective is to justify the increased involvement of Jordan in the so called war on terror. The only terror that threatens the Arabs is Israeli terror…WAKE UP people of Jordan. Do not be become another Arab society torn apart in order to protect Israel. The peace with Israel is a facade born out of the blood of the Palestininas, Iraqis , Afghanis and Iranians…We are all suffering in order for this little illegitimate state to survive and to fracture the Arab world more and more.
@UMM Hamzah, sorry to say this but I am afraid this illegitimate state you mention is our only key to the solution of the Palestinian problem. Forget the damned two state solution, what is required is a MASSIVE civil disobedience, similar to what we saw during the first intifada, forcing the Israeli state to accept every single Palestinian as a citizen, Jewish state or not, and THEN we demand more rights. Palestinians missed soooo many opportunities, far too many. Had we accepted any of them, we probably would have had a better cut than what we are going to get, if we get it at all. Take what you are offered, and THEN ask for more. Khod, o ba3dein talib.
Unfortunately what went wrong after the first intifada was the best thing that ever happened to Israel, Yasir Arafat, who blew it ALL. Let me ask you something. Israel its self was faced with a similar situation as the Palestinians are now. Israel NEVER thought the 48 borders where enough, Gurion often said so. But he accepted it, and look where they are now. Gurion is a genius, emotions aside. So a massive civil disobedience forcing Israel to accept us as equal, well, is the only way this will accept us as equals!!
Oh, and dare not call me a traitor, that is what has brought Palestine to shambles in the first place, by calling every single forward thinker a traitor.
wow, waay off topic there, sorry!
reading this after watching a magnificent al jazira documentary (hikayet Thawra)
makes me think 300 times before making any conclusion…
Palestine is the cement that holds the Arab world together, or it is the explosive that blows it apart.
Yasser Arafat
it is bizarre no one claimed responsibility..
This is REALLY scary.
/my profound comment on this entire thing