Jordan has expelled Syria's ambassador over his "repeated insults" to the kingdom, drawing a swift tit-for-tat response from Damascus, which has ordered Amman's top diplomat to leave.
Jordanian foreign ministry spokeswoman Sabah Rafi said on Monday the government considered Syrian ambassador Bahjat Suleiman "persona non grata and has demanded he leave the country within 24 hours".
"The decision comes after Suleiman's repeated insults to Jordan and its leadership, institutions and citizens, through his meetings, writings and social media websites," she said.
Rafi said the government in Jordan, which is hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from the conflict across its borders, had "repeatedly warned Suleiman not to exploit Jordanian hospitality".
"Suleiman used Jordan as a platform to question its positions and make false accusations and allegations against the kingdom," she said.
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"He also used Jordan to directly insult brotherly and neighbouring Arab countries and insult their leaderships."
Around 100 Syrians held a sit-in outside Syria's embassy in Amman to express support for the decision.
"Jordan has always been a refuge for the free of the Arab world. Thank you Jordan," read a banner carried by demonstrators who chanted pro-King Abdullah II slogans.
Syria quickly reacted to the move, announcing it was banishing from Damascus the Jordanian charge d'affaires.
State TV channel Al-Ikhbariya quoted the foreign ministry as saying the decision was "in response to the Jordanian government's baseless decision to declare the Syrian ambassador to Amman persona non grata".
