Jordan says there's 'no truth at all' in potential land route to Israel to bypass Houthi attacks at sea

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan dismissed reports on Saturday that the strategically located country serves as an unofficial land bridge for shipments of goods between Persian Gulf Arab states and Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, Jordan's state news agency reported.

The Jordanian Transportation Ministry claimed "there is no truth at all concerning the reports of the land-based route.

The Jordanian ministry's denial comes after the Israeli news site Walla reported that a land route for trucks from Dubai via Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel was successfully completed. The site also claimed that the first 10 trucks had already completed the inland journey.

This unofficial land route via Jordan was reportedly established as an alternative route to the increasingly dangerous Red Sea region, where the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi terror militia has stepped up its attacks on Israeli shipments and international commerce with links to the Jewish state.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) recently reported that the Houthis terrorists had struck the Norwegian ship STRINDA with an anti-ship cruise missile in the Red Sea. While no crew members were injured, the ship was reportedly partially damaged. STRINDA was allegedly en route to the Ashdod port in southern Israel

"The [motor tanker] STRINDA reported damage causing a fire on-board, but no casualties at this time," the CENTCOM stated, adding that "there were no U.S. ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the USS MASON responded to the STRINDA's mayday call and is currently rendering assistance."

The historic Abraham Accords in 2020 led to the establishment of official relations between Israel and four Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bilateral trade between the UAE and Israel soared prior to the Israel-Hamas war in early October.

Much of the trade takes place via the strategically important Red Sea, which connects the Mediterranean Ocean with the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The route between the bustling Emirati port of Dubai and the Israeli Mediterranean port of Haifa is approximately 2,550 km (1,585 miles) and reportedly takes four days by sea. By comparison, the route from Bahrain to Haifa is 1,700 km (a little over 1,050 miles) and takes about two days. However, land-based transport is faster than by sea. In addition, the growing terror threat from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has increased the cost of sea freight along the strategically important sea route.

The existence of a secure and efficient land bridge connecting the Persian Gulf to Israel has both regional and global implications. Such a land-based route could dramatically decrease the shipping times for Dubai-based companies which facilitate large trade between India and the European consumer market.  

The strained Jordanian economy would also benefit from the land-based trade route between the Persian Gulf and Israel. However, the majority of Jordanians are of Palestinian origin and Jordanian sources claim that the report was "intended to confuse the firm Jordanian position regarding what is happening in the Gaza Strip in terms of the brutal Israeli aggression."

Like most Middle Eastern states, Jordan has not condemned the Hamas terror massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7.

In a CNN interview in late October, Jordanian Queen Rania, who is of Palestinian origin, embraced anti-Jewish conspiracy theories, claiming there was no evidence of Hamas atrocities, despite overwhelming proof, which has been revealed worldwide.

On the other hand, Jordan has strongly criticized Israeli for its defensive military operation against the terror organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.