A high-level delegation from Syria led by the country’s defense minister met with Jordan’s army chief on Sunday, in a rare meeting between the two neighboring countries. 

Jordanian news outlets reported that Syrian Gen. Ali Ayoub and Jordanian Gen. Yousef Huneiti met in Amman to discuss border control. According to Syrian state-run agency SANA, “They discussed the cooperation between armies of the two brotherly counties,” with a focus on combating terrorism and border security. The talks were held "to intensify future coordination over all common issues,” Jordan’s army said in a statement. 

The meeting between Jordanian and Syrian officials came after the Syrian government recaptured an opposition enclave near the Jordanian border, which until recently had experienced years of relative calm. 

This summer, Syrian regime forces and allied militias besieged Daraa al-Balad, a town in southwest Syria that is considered the birthplace of the revolution. The fighting prompted Jordan to announce in late July that it was pausing plans to fully reopen Jaber-Nassib, its only land border crossing for trade with Syria.