AMMAN, Jordan — The U.S. will send anti-missile batteries and fighter jets to Jordan at the kingdom’s request to boost defense capabilities in the face of an attack from neighboring Syria, Jordanian officials said Wednesday.
The equipment is being sent to Jordan as part of preparations for an annual joint military exercise, but the officials said some would be kept in the country amid fears that the civil war raging in Syria will spill over the border.
The U.S.-made Patriot batteries are designed to detect and shoot down Scud and other short-range missiles, which are part of Syria’s arsenal. They could also be used in enforcing a no-fly-zone, which is backed by Jordan and other neighbors.
In January, NATO deployed Patriot missile batteries along Turkey’s 560-mile border with Syria, in response to a formal Turkish request after Syrian artillery shells began straying into Turkey last fall.
