According to MAP, Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, warned in New York against the role of Iran, Hezbollah, and the armed polisario in destabilizing the region of North Africa and the Maghreb.
Responding to a question about reports of the polisario acquiring Iranian drones during his press conference, following the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2654 extending Minurso’s mandate for another year, Hilale warned that if this information proves to be true, three observations are required.
[bs-quote quote=”On the geopolitical level, it will be another confirmation that we have been right for two years in warning that Iran and Hezbollah are infiltrating Tindouf and North Africa. They have gone from training to equipping the polisario with drones. This is serious.” style=”default” align=”left” color=”” author_name=”Omar Hilale” author_job=”Permanent Representative to the United Nations” author_avatar=”” author_link=””][/bs-quote]
Hilale noted that they “are destabilizing our region after having done the same” in Yemen and Syria. He also warned that “it would be considered a serious act not only for Morocco but for the whole region.”
In terms of military, this new deal, if true, would be “a game-changer,” he noted, stressing that Morocco will react accordingly. “They (the separatists) know that when Morocco decides to react, it does so appropriately,” the diplomat said.
It will also be a “moral issue,” he continued, explaining that at a time when the new Security Council resolution calls for international organizations to increase their contribution and the UN representative in Algiers speaks of the risk of famine (in the camps of Tindouf), the polisario boasts about having received Iranian drones.
Holding up a photo showing a model of the cheapest Iranian drone, Hilale said that its price ranges between 20,000 and 22,000 dollars, which is equivalent to food rations for 300 people for a year, medical services for 500 people, in addition to the annual schooling of 120 children in the camps of Tindouf in the Algerian desert.
One of the many illustrations of the threats made by Iran, Algeria, and Hezbollah to the stability of the region is the statement of the former ambassador of Iran to Algiers, Amir Al-Mousawi, who declared on the Al Mayadeen channel that “if Iran, Hezbollah, and Algeria decide to take action, it will be over in a matter of hours,” adding that he advises Morocco “not to continue with these false accusations and lies.”
⛔️ الدبلوماسي الإيراني السابق في سفارة إيران لدى الجزائر أمير موسوي يهدد باحتلال جنوب المغرب "خلال ساعات"، من شاشة قناة "الميادين" اللبنانية الممولة من قبل إيران و حزب الله pic.twitter.com/oROtKyVnao
— ⛔️ محمد واموسي (@ouamoussi) October 30, 2022