Israel builds new security barrier along its border with Jordan

Israel is building a new security barrier along its border with Jordan, within a declared project stretching about 500 kilometers and costing nearly 1.7 billion dollars, with a multi-layered system aimed at confronting infiltration and smuggling. Israel links the project to preventing weapons from reaching the West Bank and countering what it describes as attempts to create an eastern front. In March 2026, the Jordanian army announced foiling smuggling attempts using electronically guided balloons, while other reports said surveillance and reconnaissance technologies have been increasingly used against smuggling networks. In June 2026, Israel said it foiled a weapons-smuggling attempt from Jordan toward the West Bank that included 23 pistols and four assault rifles.