Spain Alarmed as Morocco Acquires Advanced Israeli Rocket System

Since the normalization of their relations in December 2020, Morocco and Israel have intensified their cooperation in all areas, but more particularly in the field of defense. The kingdom has already acquired several drones and defense systems from Israel, the latest of which is the PULS (Precise and Universal Launching System), a state-of-the-art rocket launcher capable of reaching targets up to 300 kilometers away.

This latest acquisition is frightening Spain, reports El Debate, specifying that this system manufactured by the Israeli company Elbit Systems is versatile in that it can be adapted to existing systems and can receive several types of rockets. Its 300-kilometer range would allow Morocco to reach cities in southern Spain in the event of armed conflict, it is reported, recalling that Rabat continues to claim Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Spanish islands and rocks.

The military cooperation between Rabat and Tel-Aviv is very active. On July 17, Sharon Itach, a high-ranking Israeli of Moroccan origin, was appointed Israel’s first military attaché in Morocco. His appointment came a month after the active participation of a group of Israeli soldiers in African Lion 2023, the military exercises co-organized by Morocco and its privileged partner, the United States.

The relationship between the two countries took a new step on July 18, the date on which the Moroccan Royal Cabinet announced the recognition by Israel of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, in a letter sent by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli authorities confirmed the information a few hours after Rabat’s statement. This increasingly "military" alliance between the two countries is causing concerns in the region, particularly on the part of Algeria.