Jordanian army deploys on Iraqi border
Jordanian army deploys on Iraqi borderReuters

Jordan, which has joined a U.S.-led coalition waging airstrikes on the “Islamic State” (IS) group, said Sunday it has secured the country's borders against "any threat," according to AFP.

The government's statement follows warnings from analysts that Jordan was taking a risk by joining the coalition.

"The government and the armed forces, as well as security forces, are monitoring closely the situation in several neighboring countries," it said, according to AFP.

"Precautionary measures have been taken to control the borders and protect Jordan against any threat," the statement said.

Jordan’s Interior Minister Hussein al-Majali, briefing the cabinet, said security in the kingdom and at its borders was "good and stable. There is no real direct threat for Jordan."

Jordan borders both Syria and Iraq, where the U.S.-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes on the Islamic State group.

The IS has called on its supporters to carry out attacks against coalition partners, prompting concerns that Jordan, which is grappling with its own home-grown militants, could be targeted.

IS has in the past directly threatened Jordan, including via videos showing jihadists holding Jordanian citizenship.

Nevertheless, Jordan's King Abdullah recently said his country's borders were “extremely secure” and well defended against IS.

“We have retaliated to several contacts over the past several months to those who have come across our borders or tried to come across our borders,” Abdullah told CBS. “So we have been somewhat aggressive to make sure our borders are defended.”

In June, former National Security Council director Yaakov Amidror warned against the Islamic State moving in on Jordan and posing a threat to Israel, adding that if Jordan requested Israeli assistance in preventing its border with Iraq from being overrun by the group, Israel would have little choice but to help.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu later asked the international community to support Jordan in the fight against Islamic extremism and to back the independence of Iraq's Kurds.