Morocco worked to persuade Israel to soften its position on the proposed sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia as part of broader talks involving Rabat, Riyadh, Tel Aviv and Washington, according to several unnamed Western sources cited by Moroccan outlet Assahifa. No official document has so far confirmed the role attributed to Rabat.
The publicly confirmed developments came less than 24 hours apart. On September 16, Morocco and Israel announced in New York that they would upgrade their diplomatic missions to full embassies and appoint ambassadors. The following day, the US State Department approved a possible sale to Saudi Arabia of 48 F-35s and 49 engines worth up to $24.3 billion. The deal remains subject to the US congressional review process.
Rabat reportedly pressed Israel over the Saudi deal
According to Assahifa, Riyadh and Rabat discussed a formula that could move the F-35 issue forward without requiring Saudi Arabia to immediately normalise relations with Israel. Morocco then sought to persuade Israel to adopt a less restrictive position towards the proposed sale, the outlet’s sources said.
The issue is particularly sensitive because Israel remains the only country in the Middle East operating the F-35. Washington is also required to take Israel’s “qualitative military edge” into account when considering major arms sales in the region. Reuters said the proposed Saudi sale would test that longstanding US policy.
Saudi normalisation with Israel had previously been tied to the F-35 issue under the Biden administration, when Washington explored providing the aircraft to Riyadh as part of a broader agreement that ultimately stalled.
Moroccan F-35 scenario remains unconfirmed
Assahifa’s sources also said the discussions included a possible future acquisition of an F-35 squadron by Morocco, with Saudi Arabia helping to finance the purchase.
There is no public US documentation confirming such a plan. Assahifa itself noted that Congress has not been publicly notified of any proposed F-35 sale to Morocco.
The outlet also reported discussions on weapons manufacturing in Morocco, transfers of defence technology, training facilities and certain missile-interceptor and cyberwarfare systems. Those claims likewise rely on its unnamed sources.
Western Sahara also raised in the talks, Assahifa says
Assahifa said Rabat also sought US support ahead of the next UN Security Council vote on Western Sahara, with the aim of advancing Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
Africa Intelligence has separately reported increased Moroccan diplomatic activity ahead of the Security Council meeting expected in October, but it has not confirmed that those efforts were directly linked to the embassy upgrade or the Saudi F-35 sale.
The publicly documented developments therefore remain the planned upgrade of Moroccan-Israeli relations to full embassies and Washington’s approval of a possible 48-aircraft F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia. Morocco’s reported mediation role and the wider package described by Assahifa remain based on the outlet’s sources rather than publicly available government documents.