Morocco maneuvers with Israel and Emirates to obtain F-35 fighters
The Defense Minister conveyed to his counterpart Gantz his interest in having the help of Tel Aviv in a possible purchase in which Abu Dhabi would collaborate
The meeting that Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantzheld with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi,three weeks ago was not the highest level of that journey or the defense agreement that both signed the most important military plan treaty. Gantz met secretly with the king himself, Mohammed VI,in one of his mansions, and also Loudiyi transferred to him the Moroccan interest in improving his Air Force with F-35fighter jets, for which he would appreciate the help of Israel in the attempt to convince the United States to give the green light to the operation.
According to the Israeli intelligence solutions firm Jafaj,specialized in the Middle East and North Africa region, Minister Loudiyi transferred to Gantz on the last day of the visit, on November 25, the situation of the Air Force of his country, which despite having advanced F-16 fighter jets barely operates with just over twenty units. In this context, and after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed its willingness to cover the cost of F-35 fighters for Morocco if the US agrees to provide them, Rabat’s interest in the aircraft has emerged, the publication points out citing a European source that it does not identify.
Loudiyi told Gantz directly that his country would welcome Israeli help in convincing U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to authorize the sale of F-35s and more advanced weaponry in general.
The Moroccan media Assahifa,revealed last April in a report that remains the most popular on its website, that Morocco is also negotiating to get Biden to approve the sale of the F-35 to the Emirates. The current president of the United States froze a year ago the supply to the UAE of a package of military equipment valued at 23,370 million dollars that includes fifty F-35s,and that was negotiated by his predecessor, Donald Trump. The possible authorization to Abu Dhabi would be understood in Morocco as a good sign in the negotiation to also get hold of F-35units, says the news.