Jordanian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested 16 individuals linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing them of plotting attacks using rockets and drones, with support and training allegedly provided in Lebanon.

According to the General Intelligence Department, the group had been under surveillance since 2021. Officials said at least one rocket was ready to be launched when security forces moved in. A facility for manufacturing both rockets and drones was discovered during the operation, and authorities reportedly seized dozens of rockets intended for domestic use.

A security source told Reuters the suspects were affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan’s largest opposition group, and that the head of the cell—who had trained some of its members—was based in Lebanon. The Brotherhood has long been accused of fomenting anti-government protests in Jordan, which has a large Palestinian population.

“The plot aimed at harming national security, sowing chaos and causing material destruction inside the kingdom,” the intelligence agency said in a statement released via state media.

Government spokesman Mohammad al Momani said several of the suspects had received training in Lebanon. He added that the government would air full confessions from the detainees in the coming days. Rockets with a range of 3 to 5 kilometers were found hidden on the outskirts of the capital and were intended for use against domestic targets, Momani said.

“We are talking about new tactics, rockets and drones. This means a complete change in the way the Muslim Brotherhood are dealing with Jordan and targeting its security,” said Amer Al Sabaileh, a prominent security analyst, in comments to Reuters.

All 16 suspects have been referred to the State Security Court for trial.

Jordan has faced an uptick in cross-border threats over the past year. Authorities say they have thwarted multiple attempts to smuggle arms by infiltrators affiliated with pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Lebanon-based radical Palestinian factions. Some of these weapons were reportedly bound for the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with security services arresting several Jordanians linked to Palestinian militants.

Officials say the scope and scale of explosives uncovered in recent raids indicate the operations were terrorism-related. Security sources believe the latest plot forms part of a broader campaign by Iran and its regional proxies to undermine Jordan’s stability and recruit agents for sabotage missions. Jordan is a close U.S. ally and hosts more than 3,500 American troops across several military bases.

Since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, Jordan has increasingly come under threat from Iranian-backed groups based in neighboring Syria and Iraq.

In wake of the report, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke by phone with his Jordanian counterpart Jafar Hassan, expressing Lebanon’s solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom in the face of any attempt to destabilize it.

Salam affirmed Lebanon’s full readiness to cooperate with Jordanian authorities, emphasizing that Lebanon rejects the use of its territory as a base for activities that threaten the security of any "brotherly or friendly" state.

Lebanese sources told Al-Hadath that Beirut had not received any formal complaint from Amman, but confirmed ongoing communication between both governments to understand the nature of the threat and the actors involved.

“It is a longstanding principle of Lebanon to preserve good relations with all Arab countries,” the sources said.