US officials have issued a travel warning against the Jordan resort city of Aqaba, cautioning that there is a “possible, imminent’ threat against the town over the next 48 hours. There is no specific information about the nature of the threat.
But last month Aqaba was hit with a stray missile during strikes against the nearly Israeli town of Eilat. The Israeli government expressed outrage when the US warned against travel to Eilat, saying they should issue an identical warning about Aqaba.
Which could mean that the warning is related to some threat against Eilat, or that this is simply a diplomatic move to appease Israeli officials. Either way, the announcement seems to have surprised Jordan’s government.
And stumped them, as Information Minister Ali Ayed insisted that there was no indication of any threats inside Jordan, let alone against the popular tourist destination. Which means that for the time being the warning will remain a mystery.