For the first time, Israeli soldiers are officially training on the territory of an Arab-Muslim country. These are 12 soldiers from the Golani Command’s elite infantry unit, who are present in Morocco at the “African Lion” military exercise led by the American Command for Africa (Africom).
“It all started in March 2022 when a first delegation of high-ranking IDF officers went to Morocco. We laid the foundation for a close military relationship between our two armies there,” a military source familiar with the matter told i24NEWS. Almost a year and a half later, the twelve Israeli commandos stand alongside their American and Moroccan colleagues.
“The soldiers were warmly welcomed. I would even say very positive if we compare the reception generally given to other participants in this type of exercise,” confirms a military source on condition of anonymity. “For Moroccan soldiers, it’s about learning and sharing the Israeli military experience. These soldiers share common challenges with us: namely, protecting borders, fighting terrorism and involving Iran and its proxies in destabilizing the region,” the source states, then reiterates “there was no suspicion.”
According to other sources involved in this training, the Israeli soldiers did not feel embarrassed by their presence on the territory. On the contrary, they were proud that Moroccan soldiers could predict, plan, train and instruct alongside their American and Israeli counterparts in the same bivouac. The Palestinian file would not have been the focus of the discussions.
When asked why the Golani unit was chosen, the source explains, “It’s the symbol that’s important here. Moroccan soldiers know the history of the Golani Division, as well as its experience, know-how and expertise.” “It is ultimately one of the infantry corps’ elite units,” replied the military source alongside the Israeli delegation.
Following the historic visit of the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces to Israel last September, Lieutenant General Belkheir Al-Farouq hosted a week-long symposium on security and innovation. And following former Chief of Staff General Aviv Kohavi’s trip to Morocco in July 2022, this delegation of Israeli soldiers thus confirms the presence of Tsahal monitors at the same exercise by African Leos last year.
According to several military and diplomatic sources familiar with the matter, joint training of Israeli and Moroccan soldiers continues. A Moroccan source told i24NEWS that those in charge of this military exercise had repeatedly said that “Israeli soldiers should feel at home in Morocco.”
While Israel and Morocco have maintained secret military ties for years, they restored formal ties in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords. In November 2022, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for increased bilateral defense cooperation in the areas of intelligence, industrial cooperation and military training.