Battle of Nasib Border Crossing

The Battle of Nasib Border Crossing was a battle during the Syrian Civil War and was launched by rebels to capture the last government-held border crossing with Jordan.

The battle
On 1 April 2015, rebel forces, including the al-Nusra Front, launched an offensive against government positions in and around the semi-besieged Nasib Border Crossing, forcing the Army to retreat from its last official border crossing with Jordan. Rebels also captured the border guard posts "62", "63" and "67". At least one BMP-1 was captured by the rebels.

The military acknowledged losing the border crossing and the three posts, but stated that it was still in control of the "Amman brigade" 12,5 miles east of Nasib. However, video footage showed that the base was also captured.

The Syrian government stated that any use of the rebel-held crossing “will be considered illegitimate”. The border crossing was closed by Jordan authorities.

Aftermath
The next day, the Syrian Arab Air Force raided areas around the border crossing, killing eight people, including five rebels. The border crossing was looted by hundreds of rebels and civilians. The FSA accused al-Nusra Front of taking part in the looting and told them to leave. Furthermore, the Southern Front claimed al-Nusra didn't participate in the fighting for the border crossing. It also stated to have opened an investigation into the looting.

As of 3 April, the al-Nusra Front was in control of the crossing and deciding who can go through it. The al-Nusra Front held around ten Lebanese truck drivers, after their vehicles were stranded in 'no man's land'. According to the Lebanese Refrigerated Truck Union, between 30 and 35 Lebanese truck drivers were still stuck in the area. The SOHR stated that there were around 300 vehicles held up at the border crossing, while Seer al-Dinnieh Mayor Ahmad Alam confirmed that "many tons" of items were stolen during the looting.

On 4 April, the al-Nusra Front pulled back from the border crossing, leaving it to a civil administration. According to the SOHR, al-Nusra Front abducted at least 35 truck drivers from the border crossing. It was agreed in the 'courthouse of Horan' that all abducted truck drivers will be released within 24 hours that the border crossing must be managed by a civil administration.

As of 6 April, two truck drivers were still being held captive.

On 11 April, al-Nusra Front pulled back from the shared area between Syria and Jordan, after it also pulled back from the border crossing on 4 April.

Analysis
The Nasib border crossing was the last major government-held border crossing with Jordan and vital for transporting goods from Lebanon and Syria to Jordan and Gulf countries. The capture would possibly affect Lebanon's, Syria's and Jordan's economies greatly, according to the Lebanon’s Economy Minister.