Spain Scraps €700M Israeli Rocket Deal Amid Diplomatic Tensions

The Spanish government had allocated 700 million euros for the acquisition of the SILAM rocket launcher, to replace the Teruel, withdrawn a decade ago. This system, capable of reaching its target at 40 kilometers distance, stands out as an essential weapon for the defense of a territory. But following Sanchez’s veto on Israel, this project has been abandoned. "To date, there is no longer any agreement, no contract, nor any relationship between the armed forces and the State of Israel," said Margarita Robles, the Spanish Minister of Defense, before Congress.

In recent months, her department has been working to terminate any commercial agreement with the Hebrew state, including in the armaments sector, reports Vozpopuli. Since the withdrawal of the Teruel rocket launcher, of Spanish manufacture, Spain had been looking for a new state-of-the-art system to strengthen its armed forces. This is how the SILAM project was born, the development of which was entrusted to a consortium formed by Rheinmetall Expal Munitions and EM&E. The SILAM should be designed based on the PULS rocket launcher, developed by the Israeli manufacturer Elbit Systems.

Meanwhile, Morocco has recently acquired and tested the Israeli PULS rocket launcher. The kingdom and Israel have strengthened their military cooperation since the normalization of their relations in December 2020 within the framework of the Abraham Accords. Despite recent calls to break ties with Tel Aviv due to the war in Gaza, Rabat maintains this cooperation, aware of the strategic and security issues in the region.