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Rabat – One of the recently leaked classified Pentagon documents suggests that Morocco could receive the Barak MX system from Israel later this year.
Titled “Pathways to providing lethal aid to Ukraine,” the document indicated that Israel had expressed commitment to “providing nonlethal aid to Ukraine comprised of intelligence, counter-UAS support, and a civil early warning system as it seeks to maintain its freedom of action in Syria by balancing its ties with the U.S. and Russia.”
One of the document’s footnotes also mentions a selection of Israel-origin weapons that could be transferred to Ukraine, including Barak-8/MX SAM.
“Used by Azerbaijan, India, and the UE, with Morocco scheduled to receive the system in mid-2023 and Colombia in 2026,” the document added.
While the authenticity of the document has not been officially confirmed, several news reports had already indicated that Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) would soon provide Morocco with the Barak MX air and missile defense system through a deal worth over $500 million.
A source also confirmed the news to Morocco World News last year, stressing that the Israeli aircraft manufacturing had reached an agreement with Morocco to supply the North African country with the Barak MX missile defense system.
Negotiations for the military equipment began during former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’ visit to Morocco in November 2021. Gantz traveled to the kingdom a year after Morocco and Israel re-established diplomatic relations in December 2020.
The Pentagon leaks have sparked frustration and fury, with senior American officials deeming the situation as posing a “serious” risk to US security, while officials in other countries have fumed at the revelation that the US has been spying on some of its key allies.
The Pentagon warned on Monday that the leak of a trope of classified and highly sensitive US documents poses a “very serious risk” to American security.
“We’re being very careful, and watching where this is being promoted and amplified. And we’re going to continue to coordinate efforts to determine the damage. That’s something we’re still looking into,” Pentagon spokesperson Chris Meagher told reporters.
The leaked documents have the “potential to spread disinformation,” Meagher said, stressing that there is still “a lot that we have to review and assess.”
The Pentagon is also investigating the unauthorized disclosure of the documents, with the Defense Department examining how such information are distributed and to whom.
