Jordan's Red Sea port city Aqaba, once synonymous with sun-soaked beaches and pleasant diving, has been thrust into the forefront of regional tensions highlighted by the United States-Israel military strikes on Iran and Iran's retaliatory attacks on U.S. assets in the country in recent months.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that its forces had launched missile and drone strikes against U.S. assets and facilities in Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for the U.S. frequent "aggressions" against Iran's territory.
The Jordanian military has issued a series of statements saying that its air defense system has once again intercepted multiple missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from abroad.
The Jordanian government emphasized that safeguarding national sovereignty and airspace security is the air forces' top priority, and called on the international community to de-escalate regional tensions as soon as possible to prevent further spillover of the conflict.
For Jordan, Aqaba is not only a tourist city, but also plays a vital role as the country's only outlet to the sea, and most of the country's import and export goods are transported through here.
If the regional security situation remains tense, it will not only upset the tourism industry, but could also have a ripple effect on the country's logistics, energy supply, and overall economy, said affected residents.
"The war has indeed seriously affected us, not just the tourism industry, but also us merchants and our business activities. Even import and export trade has become worse and worse," said a local resident named Mohammed.
Regional tensions upset Jordanian port city
Regional tensions upset Jordanian port city
