Israeli Def Min embarks on 'historic' trip to Morocco

Tel Aviv, Nov 24 (IANS) Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has embarked on "an important and historic visit" to Morocco, that would "formalise" security cooperation with the North African kingdom, his office said.

In a statement issued ahead of his departure on Tuesday, Gantz described the two-day trip as "an important historic visit," saying the trip marks "the first official visit by an Israeli defence chief to Morocco", reports Xinhua news agency.

"We will sign cooperation agreements and continue to strengthen ties between the countries." he added.

Gantz is expected to meet the Moroccan Defense Minister and Foreign Minister.

The visit comes less than one year after Morocco normalised ties with Israel under a US-brokered deal.

In August, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid travelled to Morocco for a first visit by Israeli top diplomat since 2003.