Jordanian fighter jets struck what they described as “factories and laboratories” for narcotics in southern Syria on Sunday, highlighting the emergence of Suwayda province as a key hub for the manufacturing of Captagon, a extremely addictive amphetamine.
Whereas the multibillion-dollar Captagon business was as soon as synonymous with forces linked to the federal government of former President Bashar al-Assad, latest investigations and army operations, dubbed “Operation Jordanian Deterrence”, present the commerce has discovered a brand new haven within the restive southern province.
The developments level to an rising axis between the brand new Syrian authorities and Jordan to dismantle the burgeoning drug infrastructure in Suwayda, a southern province that borders Jordan, to halt the unfold of Captagon.
Here’s a breakdown of why the Druze-majority province has turn out to be a regional hub for the manufacturing and distribution of the drug.
The shift to a Captagon hub
The latest air assaults particularly focused websites related to the “Nationwide Guard”, a militia loyal to Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, an influential determine inside Syria’s Druze minority, an offshoot of Shia Islam. Whereas the drug commerce was traditionally linked to Iranian-aligned armed teams in neighbouring Deraa, latest studies point out a serious shift in the direction of Suwayda, which has remained largely outdoors authorities management for the reason that fall of al-Assad in December 2024.
Clashes between the Syrian army and Druze militias, backed by Israel, in 2025, had additional entrenched Suwayda’s isolation from the Syrian state, with the Nationwide Guard, the group within the province most strongly against new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, turning into the dominant pressure there.
In line with a report by investigative outlet Forbidden Tales, this example has allowed Suwayda to turn out to be a “hotspot” for the Captagon commerce with components linked to the Nationwide Guard not solely accused of creating drug manufacturing labs and warehouses throughout the province, but in addition working smuggling rings past Syria’s borders.
Why Jordan is appearing now
For Jordan, the emergence of Suwayda as a Captagon manufacturing hub has turn out to be a nationwide emergency, with the drug turning into more and more prevalent within the kingdom. Colonel Abdullah al-Sarhan, a retired Jordanian pilot, famous that Sunday’s “preemptive” strikes have been a vital motion, provided that the trafficking strategies of drug smugglers had developed considerably. “One of the best defence is an effective offence,” al-Sarhan instructed Al Jazeera Arabic.
He argued that air strikes have been required by Jordan to curb the drug commerce, as Captagon labs in Suwayda are sometimes shielded by troublesome terrain with legal teams in Syria utilizing superior methods, equivalent to drones, to ship the contraband over the border.
A Jordanian authorities supply instructed Al Jazeera that the dominion will now not tolerate the presence of drug-production services on its doorstep however confused that Sunday’s operation was carried out in full coordination with the brand new Syrian authorities to protect the nationwide safety of each nations.
The brand new Damascus-Amman axis
The air strikes align with the goals of Syria’s new management beneath al-Sharaa, whose authorities is set to dismantle the Nationwide Guard’s autonomy, which it views as a menace to state sovereignty. Alleged drug and weapon smuggling from southern Syria to Jordan can be thought of to be a menace to the dominion’s stability.
Main-Normal Mamoun Abu Nowar, a retired Jordanian army analyst, instructed Al Jazeera that the dominion’s actions ship a transparent message to components working in southern Syria. “Jordanian nationwide safety is inextricably linked to Syrian nationwide safety,” Abu Nowar mentioned. He added that the strikes function a deterrent not solely to drug cartels but in addition to exterior actors who would possibly search to make the most of the facility wrestle between the central authorities in Damascus and the Druze factions.
“It’s a message to these inside Suwayda cooperating with Israel and to Israel itself: don’t try any future initiatives on our borders. Jordan won’t hesitate to strike these nests,” Abu Nowar mentioned.
The Israel and US issue
The battle over Suwayda’s drug commerce has the potential to attract in broader regional powers. Israeli officers have beforehand sought to place themselves as protectors of Syria’s Druze neighborhood, and carried out assaults on authorities forces throughout clashes in Suwayda between the army and armed teams linked to al-Hijri.
In early March 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to advance the Israeli army to the outskirts of Damascus, utilizing the spurious declare of defending Syria’s spiritual minorities.
Nevertheless, the US has signalled its opposition to such escalations and in July 2025, the US State Division publicly criticised Israeli air strikes in southern Syria, calling for diplomatic engagement and urging the Syrian authorities to guide the trail in the direction of stability. It is a place that aligns with the present efforts by each Amman and Damascus to consolidate border safety and eradicate the presence of Captagon from Syria, which has expanded legal exercise throughout the area.
What comes subsequent?
The scenario in Suwayda stays extremely risky, with a lot of the province nonetheless outdoors authorities management and periodic clashes alongside its periphery.
The Syrian authorities and Jordan are decided to dismantle the Nationwide Guard’s alleged illicit financial lifelines, whereas there may be little incentive for legal components to surrender this profitable commerce with no combat. The battle for the management of Suwayda is now a vital check for the soundness of post-Assad Syria that has broader implications past its borders.
