Ever since the Syrian government took control of the southern regions in Syria, which include the province of Daraa and Quneitra, it has conducted several meetings with the Jordanian side to reactivate the trade activity across the border. These meetings reached a fundamental step in October 2018 with the reopening of the Naseeb-Jaber border crossing, only to be closed again in mid-August 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 17, Jordan reopened the Naseeb-Jaber crossing with Syria to restore commercial and individual movement based on the recommendations of the Jordanian Field and Border Crossings Committee. This came after an agreement was concluded between the Syrian and Jordanian sides during the visit of the chairman of Jordan’s Chamber of Commerce, Nael al-Kabariti, to Damascus on April 3. Soon after the crossing’s reopening, the Jordanian Minister of Interior, Brig. Gen. Mazen al-Faraya, sent a letter to the director of Jordan’s Public Security asking him to facilitate the movement of passengers and trucks across the land borders with Syria while respecting the health protocol.

An employee at the free zone of the Naseeb-Jaber crossing living in Daraa city told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Ever since the free zone was closed in late 2015 — when the Syrian opposition took control of the entire border area in southern Syria — we have been consistently receiving our salaries [from the Syrian government-affiliated General Organization for Free Zones]."

He added, "Recently we were informed that we could return to work in the near future, as the Syrian side has taken all necessary measures and is awaiting the approval of the Jordanian side to resume work. The moves to open the market with Jordan come as the economic crisis in Syria is deteriorating due to the sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime. The moves also aim at reducing some costs and the prices of various goods and consumables, including clothing, vegetables, fruits and sweets.”