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In the context of resumption of relations between the two countries announced last December, according to some foreign sources, the Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz will visit Morocco in the coming months.
Defense cooperation agreements should be signed, aimed in particular at developing a national industry for the production of drones supposed to strengthen Morocco’s air power.
BlueBird Aerosystems, a subsidiary of defense giant Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has been negotiating for several months with Moroccan teams to develop an incubator of companies capable of manufacturing such devices.
Rabat became interested in the use of drones after the IAI “highlighted” in a sales pitch the intensive use of Harop suicide drones of its manufacture by Azerbaijan during the war that pitted him against Armenia last year. Note that Israel is considered one of the main exporters of drones and IAI has more than 50 operational customers around the world.
Military relations between Israel and Morocco to date have mainly involved intelligence cooperation and arms trading, according to a Haaretz report.
Recall that in January of last year, the Moroccan army received three Israeli reconnaissance drones as part of a contract worth around 48 million dollars (41 million euros) signed in 2014, and closed via the French company Dassault.
These devices would serve to counter extremist groups and fight rebel movements in Sahara.
The Hebrew state is also said to have sold other military systems to Morocco, including communication and control systems (such as radar systems for fighter jets) via a third party. During his two-day visit, the Israeli foreign minister met his counterpart Nasser Bourita and handed him an invitation from President Isaac Herzog to King Mohammed VI urging him to visit Israel.
