Jordan's Public Security Directorate announced the seizure of firearms smuggled into the kingdom by hot-air balloon in Karak Governorate, according to reports by Tayyar.org, Lebanon Debate, Lebanon 24 and An-Nahar.
According to An-Nahar, police in Karak Governorate received a report of a suspicious bag in the Mahi area. The site said security units moved to the location and cordoned it off, and that experts examined the bag.
An-Nahar reported that 9 automatic firearms and tracking devices were found inside the bag.
The site quoted the media spokesperson for the Public Security Directorate as saying that the bag had been smuggled by hot-air balloon. Preliminary investigations, according to An-Nahar, indicate that it arrived with the wind from the kingdom's southern border. According to the same site, investigations are ongoing to uncover the full details of the operation.
Separately, An-Nahar, citing the Petra news agency, reported that the Jordanian Armed Forces said border guards foiled an attempt by an armed group of 14 individuals to infiltrate from Syria. According to the Armed Forces, the attempt took place under heavy covering fire and in direct clashes. The Armed Forces also said, according to the same source, that the group suffered heavy casualties and that the remaining members fled toward the Syrian interior. This is the Armed Forces' account as relayed by Petra, and it has not been independently verified.
The identity of the party responsible for the smuggling and the destination of the weapons remain unknown. The source of the balloon launch has not been precisely determined, nor has the exact number of casualties in the group that infiltrated from Syria. It has not been established whether there is a link between the weapons seizure and the infiltration attempt.
The details of the incident, from the discovery of the bag to its contents and method of smuggling, rest solely on An-Nahar's reporting. The seizure announcement itself was repeated across all four sites.