U.S. Warns Against Visiting Aqaba Airport and Port; Iranian Missiles Follow Warning

The U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, reported on July 19 (local time) that Jordanian authorities had issued an evacuation order for the international airport and port in the Aqaba region, which borders the Red Sea.

Although Jordanian authorities denied the evacuation order, tensions escalated immediately after the embassy's warning as Iranian missiles were fired, triggering Israeli air defense systems in the vicinity.

The embassy announced the warning via X (formerly Twitter), explaining that it was based on a specific and credible threat.

The embassy advised all U.S. citizens to refrain from traveling to the airport or port and urged them to avoid visiting military bases within Jordan.

In response, Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad Al-Momani stated that no evacuation order had been issued for the Aqaba airport and port, and that these facilities were operating normally, according to the state-run Petra news agency.

Al-Momani also drew a line, stating that no potential threats had been detected in the past few hours.

However, shortly thereafter, the Jordanian military announced that out of four missiles fired by Iran toward Jordanian territory, three were intercepted by air defense systems, while the remaining one landed in a sparsely populated area in southern Jordan.

The Israeli military issued an air raid alert, warning that missiles fired toward Aqaba could land in nearby Israeli territory.

The Times of Israel reported that loud explosions were heard in Eilat, an Israeli port city near Aqaba, when the missiles were intercepted, and that the Israeli military activated its Iron Dome air defense system in response to the attack.

Immediately following the interception of the missiles, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, "If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will respond with full-scale firepower," as reported by AFP.

Katz added, "The U.S. may change its policy," noting that "in that case, we are prepared for both defensive and offensive measures against Iran."

As the recent military exchange between the U.S. and Iran intensifies and Iran increases the scale of its retaliatory airstrikes targeting U.S. assets in the Middle East, concerns over an escalation are growing as the conflict spills over to include Israel, which has been dissatisfied with ceasefire efforts.

The U.S. Central Command previously announced on July 17 that Iran had attacked the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, Jordan, with ballistic missiles and drones, resulting in the deaths of two U.S. service members and leaving one missing.

The Gulf of Aqaba, surrounded by Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, connects to the Red Sea.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.