Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens to meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits a pub in Aqaba, at the southern tip of Jordan, where sailors passing through the Red Sea and CIA contractors alike go to cure their landsickness.
Just a stone's throw from Aqaba's public beach, after passing through a security gate, you enter the Rovers Return, a typically English pub, of which there are dozens across the Middle East. This autumn, Jordan's only coastal city is far less bustling than usual. This is down to the war in Iran, which began in February with the US-Israeli Operation Epic Fury, dealing a severe blow to local tourism. Normally, many Saudis happily cross the nearby border to drink their fill at the seaside bars.
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