Morocco’s recent procurement of Israeli and Turkish weaponry draws parallels with Azerbaijan’s military approach leading up to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in late 2020, reported Forbes on Thursday.
The article authored by journalist Paul Iddon said that Morocco may be seeking to gain a strategic advantage in any potential conflict with Algeria over the disputed Sahara region.
Iddon pointed out that the recent clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave with an Armenian population within Azerbaijan, on September 19-20 highlighted Azerbaijan’s effective use of advanced Israeli-supplied weapons. A video circulating on social media suggested that Azerbaijan had employed Israeli LORA quasi-ballistic missiles and Harop loitering munitions to neutralize Armenian forces.
The journalist went on to say that Morocco followed a similar path and acquired all these advanced systems in the years following the South Caucasus conflict, except for the LORA missile system. Morocco also purchased Turkish TB2 drones and showed interest in the much advanced Akinci drone.
Rabat recently received its first shipment of Israeli Barak MX systems, which were part of a $500 million deal finalized in 2022, he added, affirming that these acquisitions suggest Morocco’s efforts to bolster its military capabilities for potential regional disputes.