The Israeli army has announced that its soldiers will be participating in military exercises in Morocco for the first time ever. The event, called “African Lion,” is the largest war games event in Africa and will involve around 8,000 soldiers from 18 different countries. A delegation of 12 soldiers and commanders from the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion, an elite infantry unit, has been sent to participate in the exercises. During the two-week event, the soldiers will focus on training in various combat challenges that combine urban warfare and underground warfare. The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) have stated that the war games will include exercises in operational planning and fighting weapons of mass destruction, tactical land, sea, air and special forces training, as well as airborne operations. This is the second time that Israel has participated in the event, but the first time that its soldiers will take part on the ground. The two countries have been working to boost cooperation in various fields since they normalized ties in December 2020.