Jordan condemns Israeli military operations against Gaza

Jordan on Sunday condemned the Israeli military operations against Gaza Strip that caused the death of civilians, the state-run Petra news agency reported. "Jordan strongly condemns the serious military escalation and the targeting of defenseless civilians," Jordan's Minister of State for Communications and Media Affairs Abdullah Abu Rumman said. The minister called for an immediate halt of the operations, warning of more serious consequences and escalation, which he said will threaten the security and the stability of the entire region. Earlier, hundreds of Jordanians had called for expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman during a protest near the Israeli embassy in the capital. Security was heavily deployed near the embassy and the security forces blocked the roads leading to the embassy. Interior Minister Mazen Saket and other top security officers were seen at the site near the Israeli embassy and listened to the demonstrators' demands. Palestinian sources said the Israeli strikes have killed at least 14 Palestinians since Thursday, and the Palestinian militants in Gaza on Sunday morning fired around a dozen Grad and smaller Kassam rocket salvos at cities and towns across southern Israel, despite repeated Israeli Air Force bombing sorties to suppress the launches. Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 to become the second Arab state after Egypt to have such a deal with Israel.