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A secretive Israeli American defense company has tested a new long range cruise missile at a US military range in Morocco, bringing the covert weapons program into the open. Covenant Industries says its lowcost Anthem missile could enter production next year, giving Western militaries a faster and cheaper way to potentially rebuild depleting arsenals. The test also highlights Morocco's growing role as a testing ground for US and allied weapons and its deepening defense ties with Israel. And we go now to Morocco to Dr. Muhammad Tatu, a political analyst and senior professor at the University of Rabbat. Thank you so much for joining us. This isn't the first major military development out of Morocco in recent
years. Is Rabat becoming a new major hub for military technology? Definitely it's becoming the hub of this triangular cooperation in military hardware and I think it's very good news because uh the low cost uh cruise missile has been a success and um the uh firing of demonstration uh was very good for Morocco, for Israel and for the United States. And I think this means that there will be more uh trials, more demonstrations in the near future in uh this military hardware in cooperation between Morocco, United States and Israel. And u this is also means that there is a long-term kind of uh military cooperation uh between these three countries uh in an area where uh we have problems in the Sahel as you know with the Islamists and with
all kind of other people. So I think the stabilization of the Sahel needs that kind of hardware that kinds of military cooperation. Now, how significant is it that at a time like this specifically, an Israeli linked company is testing military equipment on Moroccan soil so publicly? Well, it's the I think the cooperation is no more secretive. It's it's known to everyone that there is this kind of uh understanding between Morocco and Israel. and Morocco and Israel have moved into uh some sort of alliance uh in the last two years. And this alliance is on the military grounds and other economic areas. But the military is very important because I think uh the companies from Israel are testing their
uh hardware or testing their military hardware in Morocco. And this is good news for Morocco and good news for Israel and good news also for the United States because this means there will be a longterm cooperation in that area. Now, you're saying good news all around here, but uh we know that Morocco, of course, isn't involved in the ongoing Iran conflict, but are there perhaps any fears or a higher risk that it could be dragged in if it becomes too close with the US and Israel at this moment? Well, I think Morocco has been too close with Israel and um the United States for uh since 200 20 since the signature of the Abraham Accords and everybody knows that Morocco helped Israel during the
war. Uh there were ships that were harbored in Morocco and um there were all kind of things that happened during that war. that I think everybody knows that and I think this means that Morocco and Israel and the United States are moving into a next step of military cooperation which is good for the three countries but also good for the region. All right, Muhammad Tatu, thank you very much for joining us. It's my pleasure.
