Israel, Morocco agree $500m defence missile deal
Israel, Morocco agree $500m defence missile deal
This is the second major sale made by the Israeli military industry to an Arab country this month.
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Morocco and Israel normalised ties under the sponsorship of the USA in December 2020 [AFP via Getty]
Israel and Morocco have concluded a multimillion dollars deal over the sale of an Israeli air defence system, the Israeli business daily Globes reported on Sunday.
The Moroccan kingdom has allegedly purchased Barak MX, an air defence system worth an estimated $500 millions designed by the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI).
The system is designed to intercept various types of missiles, drones and airstrikes.
The announcement follows weeks of speculation regarding the sale of various Israeli air defence systems to Morocco.
In January, Israeli media reported that Morocco was in talks to purchase the Barak air defence system following Israeli's Defence Minister Benny Gantz' visit to Rabat in November.
During the three-day visit, Gantz met with security and military officials and signed a memorandum of understanding allowing Morocco to acquire Israeli military technology.
Earlier this month, Israel agreed to provide the UAE with early warning systems to detect missiles after several strikes carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels on the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. Tel-Aviv said it hoped to build a regional defence system to its benefit.
The purchase value of the defence system reportedly amounted to billions of dollars.
Israel has been steadily deepening its economic and security relations with Morocco and the UAE after signing the controversial US-brokered "Abraham Accords" in 2020.
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