Morocco Deploys Israeli-Made Drones in Western Sahara Conflict with Polisario Front

The use of Israeli drones by the Moroccan army was revealed after the retaliation of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) against the Polisario, which occurred on March 7 between the Erni and Ternit rivers, and caused the death of the commander of the National Guard Dah El Bendir. The operation was carried out by "a Harfang drone of Israeli design that allowed a Moroccan F-16 fighter to carry out the long-distance attack using one or more air-to-ground missiles," military sources told the online newspaper Le Desk.

The attack was not confirmed by Morocco, perhaps due to ongoing negotiations with the United States for the acquisition of Reaper MQ9 drones. For its part, the Ministry of Security and Documentation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) has denounced the use of American and Israeli drones in the conflict with Morocco. "This is not the first time that Morocco has used drones in Western Sahara," Sidi Ougal, the general secretary of the ministry, told El Español.

In February 2020, Morocco received three Heron drones for around 50 million euros, transferred from Israel to the kingdom via France. Developed by the Israeli aerospace company, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), they have a ground control system and can fly continuously for 52 hours. These devices, used in the Sahara conflict, are also equipped with high-definition camera systems and are capable of switching to a satellite link to transmit real-time information or fly at low altitude over the sea.

According to the Spanish website Defensa.com, the FAR have ordered three Hermes 900 from the Israeli aircraft manufacturer Elbit System since 2017. These drones are used for surveillance, listening and communication transmission in neighboring countries. The Israeli drones are located at the air bases of Meknes and Dakhla and are managed by a special team of the FAR.