Morocco Now Sources 24% of Its Arms from Israel, Behind Only the United States

Since the Abraham Accords were signed in December 2020, defence cooperation between Morocco and Israel has expanded quickly, according to an Escudo Digital report. Under the Accords, Rabat and Tel Aviv normalised diplomatic relations in exchange for recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. In November 2021, during the first official visit to Rabat by Israel’s then defence minister, Benny Gantz, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on defence.

The memorandum covered intelligence and information sharing, military training and mutual logistical support, and it opened the door to sales of Israeli weapons and military technology. The report states that Israel now supplies 24% of Morocco’s military imports, second only to the United States (60%) and ahead of France (10%).

According to the report, the Royal Moroccan Army has been the main beneficiary of large arms purchases over the past five years. The most notable strategic acquisition is the Barak MX multi-layered air defence system, bought from the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in 2022 for $500 million. The report also says Morocco acquired 36 ATMOS 2000 self-propelled howitzers in 2025 from Elbit Systems and an estimated eight to 12 PULS rocket launchers from the same company in a deal worth $150 million, with deliveries under way this year. The report notes that Spain’s Ministry of Defence had excluded Elbit Systems from the SILAM rocket launcher programme, a decision it links to the Spanish government’s arms-embargo policy towards Israel over the war in Gaza.

The report also lists Israeli drone platforms in Morocco’s inventory, including models from BlueBird Aero Systems and Elbit Systems, which it says are deployed at bases monitoring the Atlantic coast and the Saharan frontier. On cyber capabilities, the report says that with Israel’s assistance Morocco has become the African country with the most advanced cybersecurity capabilities, citing Israeli-made tools such as Pegasus from NSO Group. It adds that Morocco agreed in July 2024 to buy two Ofek 13 spy satellites from IAI for approximately $1 billion, with delivery expected by the end of the decade.

The report cites press reports that Morocco’s domestic intelligence service, the DGST, used Pegasus to gain leverage over Spain and that the phones of Spain’s prime minister and three ministers were infiltrated between 2020 and 2021. Such accusations come from press reporting and are not established by the article itself. The report also notes that Pegasus was developed by NSO Group and that its export requires approval from Israel’s Ministry of Defence. Here the phones of officials were reportedly compromised, a matter that calls for honest accountability (Proverbs 11:1). The report cautions that describing Morocco as a mere pro-Israeli proxy would underestimate the sophistication of its own intelligence services.

Military cooperation has also taken institutional form. According to the report, a Joint Military Committee has met annually since 2020 and sets yearly work plans between the Israel Defense Forces and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. At its latest meeting, held in Tel Aviv in early January 2026, the two sides agreed to organise cooperation around four areas: technological and industrial innovation, operational readiness, intelligence and cyber defence, and long-term force development. The report says the aim in technological innovation is to move away from one-off commercial arms transactions toward the long-term institutionalisation of defence cooperation.

Source: Read the original report