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Rabat – Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz will arrive in Morocco today, November 23, to sign military agreements to strengthen security cooperation with Morocco.
The agreements are related to the development of a project to “manufacture” drones in Morocco, with recent reports that the two countries intend to cooperate in the production of kamikaze drones.
The deal is also part of the recent but intensifying Morocco-Israel rapprochement.
Morocco has already received an Israeli security adviser and foreign minister since relations between the two countries resumed late last year, but today will mark the first time an Israeli defense minister has paid an official visit to the kingdom.
The defense agreement to be signed during Gantz’s visit “outlines military cooperation between the two countries,” according to the office of the Israeli minister. The Israeli representative will leave Morocco the following day, November 24.
The two-days visit aims to “lay the foundation stone for future security relations between Israel and Morocco,” France24 quoted an Israeli official as saying.
“We had some cooperation, but we will give it a formality now. It’s a public declaration of partnership between us,” the official added.
Gantz’s visit comes as a further signal of the shared desire of the Moroccan and Israeli governments to deepen their cooperation on the defense front.
Last week, Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) purchased Israel’s Skylock Dome System to strengthen FAR’s defensive and territory control capabilities and preserve the country’s national and strategic stability.
Read Also: Morocco Purchases Israel’s Skylock Dome System
The North African country also spent an estimated $48 million to purchase three Israeli Heron drones, a type of reconnaissance military equipment, to combat extremist or insurgent groups in Western Sahara.
Nearly a year after Morocco and Israel re-established their diplomatic relations, the two countries have signed several deals and partnerships to boost bilateral cooperation on a broad range of fronts, especially defense, military, trade, and tourism.
