Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said the security forces are on alert to protect the country from effects of the ongoing violence in Iraq, media reported Tuesday.

“Jordanian security forces are on alert and ready to protect the country from the developments in Iraq,” Xinhua quoted Judeh as saying.

“We are concerned about the safety and stability of Iraq and its people. The news that the Iraqi Army members withdrew from several areas is surprising.”

Meanwhile, Royal Jordanian Airlines announced Monday that all its flights operating between Jordan and Iraq are running as scheduled, except those to Mosul which has been temporarily suspended since last Tuesday due to the deteriorating security situation.

Conflict-torn Iraq plunged into a new wave of violence after militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant seized the country’s second biggest city Mosul last week.