A Jordanian court on Wednesday jailed a jihadist and a doctor for going to neighbouring Syria to support rebels fighting the regime in the war-torn country, a judicial official said.

"The state security court sentenced a jihadist to five years in prison for infiltrating Syria to fight with the rebels last spring," the official told AFP.

The convict was charged with "carrying out acts that are not approved by the government and that would expose Jordan and its citizens to the risk of acts of aggression and revenge."

"The doctor was sentenced to a year in jail for infiltrating Syria in 2011 to treat rebels," the official added.

Jordan, which is hosting more than 500,000 Syrian refugees, has tightened its northern border and jailed dozens of men convicted of entering or trying to go to Syria to fight alongside rebel forces.