Joint interception stops Iran over Aqaba

Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile aimed at the Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday, the Israeli military said, as air raid sirens sounded across Jordan.

Reports of explosions near the Israeli city of Eilat, just across the water from Aqaba, prompted the announcement. "A short while ago, the IDF identified the launch of missiles from Iran toward the city of Aqaba in Jordan, adjacent to Israeli territory," the military said, warning that "it is possible that as a result of the fire, there will be spillover into Israeli territory."

Sirens rang out in Amman and across other parts of the kingdom, according to Jordan's state broadcaster, Al Mamlaka. 

The Jordanian military later said three ballistic missiles fired at Aqaba had been intercepted, while a fourth struck an open area; no injuries were reported. A US air defense system was involved in bringing down the missiles, while Israel fired Iron Dome interceptors to shoot down fragments that could have threatened Eilat.

The attack came shortly after Jordan's government denied earlier reports that authorities had ordered the evacuation of Aqaba's international airport and seaport, following a warning from the US embassy in Amman that the transport hubs had been evacuated over a "specific and credible threat."

The strike on Aqaba marks the latest instance of the war spilling directly into Jordanian territory, as Iran continues launching missiles at US allies across the region following successive rounds of American strikes on Iranian military and infrastructure targets.