His Majesty King Abdullah II, in his address today at the 33rd Arab League summit held in Bahrain, said that militant groups that smuggle drugs and arms must be confronted.

His Majesty’s remarks come after Jordan thwarted several attempts by state-sponsored militias in recent months to smuggle drugs, weapons into the Kingdom – including Claymore mines, C4 explosives, Semtex, Kalashnikov rifles, and 107mm Katyusha rockets.

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“We must counter armed outlaw groups that defy state sovereignty, as well as the actions of these criminal groups, especially drug and arms smuggling, which Jordan has been countering firmly for years, to protect our youth from this external danger,” His Majesty said.

An unnamed source told Reuters that Jordan recently foiled an attempt by armed groups loyal to Iran in Syria to smuggle weapons to a cell associated with a particular organization in Jordan – with the intention of eventually delivering them to a Palestinian movement.