Israeli Air Force chief visits Morocco for first time

The chief of the Israeli Air Force, Maj-Gen Tomer Bar, wrapped up a first official visit to Morocco on February 24.

The visit is a sign of growing defence ties between Israel and the North African nation, The Times of Israel reports.

During his trip, Bar met with his counterpart, Gen El Abed Alaoui Bouhamid, and visited the Ben Guerir Air Force Base, near the city of the same name, as well as the Moroccan Air Force headquarters and academy, the military said.

The Israel Defence Forces said Bar and Bouhamid “welcomed the strengthening of the existing cooperation between the two armies and discussed key military issues, including the air defense, team exchanges, and joint aerial exercises”.

“This is an exciting moment,” Bar said in remarks provided by the Israeli Defence Firces (IDF, hailing Morocco for having “one of the most professional and advanced air forces.”

“We will act and advance cooperation and common interests, we will strengthen partnerships in training and knowledge for the benefit of maintaining regional stability,” he added.

Israel and Morocco established low-level diplomatic relations during the 1990s following Israel’s interim peace accords with the Palestinians, but those ties were suspended after the outbreak in 2000 of the Second Intifada.

A breakthrough took place 20 years later when the Trump administration agreed to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region in exchange for Rabat agreeing to normalize relations with Israel. Morocco was the third country to join what was dubbed as the Abraham Accords, following the leads of the UAE and Bahrain.