Three law enforcement officers were wounded in a shootout around dawn near the Israeli Embassy in Amman, the Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported on Sunday. The suspected gunman was shot dead.
The incident unfolded when the suspect opened fire on a police patrol and attempted to flee the scene, the agency said, citing Jordan’s Public Security Directorate.
Officers engaged the attacker in a firefight, during which the gunman was killed, Petra reported.
Loud gunfire echoed through the neighborhood, and numerous emergency services vehicles were visible at the scene in videos circulating on social media that purported to show the incident.
Three members of law enforcement were wounded in the attack. They have been taken to the hospital in moderate condition, the news agency said.
Amman has seen a number of pro-Palestinian protests over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since October 2023. A significant percentage of Jordan’s population of 11.5 million is Palestinian, many with ties across the Jordan River in the neighboring West Bank. According to UNRWA data, there are at least 2.39 million registered Palestinian refugees living in the country.
The Israeli ambassador to Amman left the country due to security concerns at the beginning of the Gaza war following the deadly Hamas raid against southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Jordan recalled its ambassador in November last year in protest of West Jerusalem’s methods of war in the besieged enclave.
The Israeli National Security Council’s travel advisory service has marked Jordan with the highest threat level for Israelis, citing terrorist threats. “Travel to this country is not allowed. Those who are already there must leave immediately,” the government website states.