# Syrian invasion of Jordan

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Short-lived invasion during Black September

Syrian invasion of Jordan Part of Black September and the Arab Cold War T-54 tank of the Syrian army during invasion. Date 18–23 September 1970 Location Northern Jordan Result Jordanian victory Syrian invasion repelled Belligerents Ba'athist Syria PLO Fatah PFLP DFLP Jordan Commanders and leaders Nureddin al-Atassi Salah Jadid Yasser Arafat Hussein Habis Majali Zeid bin Shaker Strength 16,000 troops 250–300 tanks and armoured vehicles 65,000–74,000 troops 500 tanks and armoured vehicles Casualties and losses Jordanian claim: 1500 casualties 135 tanks lost [1] Israeli claim: 120 tanks lost of which 30-60 mechanical breakdowns[1] Jordanian claim: 112 casualties 16 tanks and 1 armored car destroyed[1]

v t e Black September Dawson's Field hijackings Battle of Amman Syrian invasion of Jordan Ajlun offensive

The **Syrian invasion of Jordan** began on 18 September 1970 in support of the [Palestine Liberation Organization](/source/Palestine_Liberation_Organization) (PLO) amid [Black September](/source/Black_September). [Syria](/source/Ba'athist_Syria) conducted a short-lived incursion toward [Irbid](/source/Irbid) in northern Jordan, before being forced to withdraw due to heavy casualties.[1][2][3] Syria's supposed aim was to help the [Palestinian fedayeen](/source/Palestinian_fedayeen) overthrow the [Hashemite monarchy](/source/Hashemites).[4]

## Background

Map of Fedayeen concentrations in Jordan in 1970

On 17 September 1970, the Jordanian army surrounded several cities with a significant PLO presence and began targeting Palestinian fedayeen, viewing them as a threat to the Hashemite monarchy of [King Hussein](/source/Hussein_of_Jordan). Syria publicly threatened King Hussein, with Syrian president [Nureddin al-Atassi](/source/Nureddin_al-Atassi) stating that Syria would "spare no blood" to help the Palestinians. The [Syrian foreign ministry](/source/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_and_Expatriates_(Syria)) warned that the "Syrian revolution cannot remain silent or idle about the massacres to which the Palestine revolution groups and the masses in Jordan are being exposed."[1] The Syrian invasion expressed the ruling [Syrian Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party](/source/Arab_Socialist_Ba'ath_Party_%E2%80%93_Syria_Region)'s stance against "the reactionary regime" in Jordan and its desire to overthrow it. The Syrian Ba'ath Party adopted strongman [Salah Jadid](/source/Salah_Jadid)'s policy of pushing for military intervention against Jordan on 17 September 1970.[5]

The [United States](/source/United_States), seeing the Syrian incursion through the lens of [Cold War](/source/Cold_War) politics, prepared to intervene on behalf of Jordan and block [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union) support for Syria.[1]

## Invasion

Jordanian soldiers surrounding a [Centurion tank](/source/Centurion_(tank)) in [Irbid](/source/Irbid) to face off the Syrian invasion, 17 September 1970

On 18 September 1970, a force from Syria with [Palestine Liberation Army](/source/Palestine_Liberation_Army) markings crossed the border into Jordan, reaching Irbid and declaring it a "liberated" city. The 40th Armored Brigade managed to block the Syrian advance after heavy fighting.[4] A second and much larger Syrian incursion took place on the same day, consisting of two armored and one mechanized infantry brigade of the [5th Infantry Division](/source/5th_Armoured_Division_(Syria)), and around 300 tanks.[4]

On 20 September 1970, Syria committed 16,000 troops and more than 170 [T-55](/source/T-54%2FT-55) tanks and other armoured vehicles to invade Jordan, but declined to commit its air force. Jordanian forces managed to repel two Syrian armored offensives and inflicted heavy losses on a Syrian armored brigade. Syrian tanks crossed near [Ramtha](/source/Ar-Ramtha), advancing 5 miles past it, and slowly moved toward Irbid.[6]

By the morning of 21 September, Syria had the battleground advantage, with almost 300 tanks and 60 artillery tubes near Ramtha and Irbid, some of which had already entered Irbid. Syrian forces later captured two key crossroads that served as gateways to the Jordanian capital, [Amman](/source/Amman).[6]

By 22 September, however, the Syrian forces had been largely defeated as they attempted to breach Jordanian lines north of the [Ajloun](/source/Ajloun) mountains. Syrian forces suffered due to Jordanian airstrikes, logistic shortfalls, and mechanical breakdowns. By midday, approximately 50 of 200 Syrian tanks became inoperable. Syrian forces began withdrawing from Jordan on the night of 22–23 September 1970.[6]

## Casualties

During the invasion, Syrian tanks inflicted heavy losses on the [Jordanian army](/source/Royal_Jordanian_Army). In one case, a squadron of T-55s stopped the advance of a large Jordanian column, with 19 [Centurions](/source/Centurion_(tank)) destroyed and up to 10 Syrian T-55s lost in the battle.[7] According to [Israeli intelligence](/source/Mossad), Jordan lost 75 to 90 tanks out of 200 involved;[8] most of these were destroyed by Syrian T-55s at ar-Ramtha.[9] Syrian tank losses amounted to 62 T-55s (mostly breakdowns) left in Jordanian territory.[10] Syrian losses were 150 soldiers killed or wounded and 200 captured.[11] Jordanian losses were 537 soldiers killed and 1500 wounded.[12][7]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_1-5) A. Mobley, Richard (2009). ["Syria's 1970 invasion of Jordan"](http://intelros.ru/pdf/jfq_55/25.pdf) (PDF). *U.S. Joint Military Contributions to Countering*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Ryan, Curtis R. (2006). ["The Odd Couple: Ending the Jordanian-Syrian "Cold War""](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4330215). *Middle East Journal*. **60** (1): 33–56. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3751/60.1.12](https://doi.org/10.3751%2F60.1.12). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0026-3141](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0026-3141). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [4330215](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4330215).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Behind the Syrian Invasion"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4364815). *Economic and Political Weekly*. **11** (30): 1107–1112. 1976. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0012-9976](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0012-9976). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [4364815](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4364815).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_4-2) Shlaim, Avi (2009-10-06). [*Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace*](https://books.google.com/books?id=JtrCoUf7wCsC). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 326. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4000-7828-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4000-7828-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Shemesh, Moshe (2012-11-12). [*The Palestinian Entity 1959-1974: Arab Politics and the PLO*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rKwsBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA144). Routledge. p. 144. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-136-28512-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-136-28512-7).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_6-2) A. Mobley, Richard (2009). ["Syria's 1970 invasion of Jordan"](http://intelros.ru/pdf/jfq_55/25.pdf) (PDF). *U.S. Joint Military Contributions to Countering*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_7-1) *Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991*, Kenneth Michael Pollack, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2002, pp. 337–341

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Volume XXIV. P.912"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190811100748/https://2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/113360.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://www.2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/113360.pdf) (PDF) on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Pollack, Kenneth Michael (2002). *Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991*. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 337–345. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-80323-733-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-80323-733-9).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948—1991. Kenneth Michael Pollack. U of Nebraska Press. 2002. P.478

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Raab, David (2007). *Terror in Black September: The First Eyewitness Account of the Infamous 1970 Hijackings*. St. Martin's Press. p. 200.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["شهداء الواجب"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171019145334/https://www.jaf.mil.jo/Contents/Martyr_of_Dutyar.aspx). 2017-10-19. Archived from [the original](https://www.jaf.mil.jo/Contents/Martyr_of_Dutyar.aspx) on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 2025-03-18.

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