A few days ago, online platform Mena Defense revealed that during a parade organized to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN), policemen were carrying «IWI Tavor X95», an Israeli bullpup assault rifle designed and produced by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) as part of the Tavor rifle family.
On Friday, DGSN issued a statement, relayed by MAP, in which it «categorically» denied having «showcased Israeli weapons during the annual parade».
Through its denial, however, the Directorate failed to mention the name of the weapon in question, slamming the «fake news», according to them.
«The purchasing of the weapons cited by the foreign website was done through a specialized European agency».
The fact that the weapons were purchased through a dealer or European intermediate, does not change the Israeli origin of the assault rifles, as noted by French-language newspaper Le Desk in one of its recent investigative papers.
It recalls that Israeli firms do not sign contracts directly with Arab countries, preferring to use intermediary agencies and specialized firms to «circumvent the prohibitions». Le Desk added that «the Israeli military industry has been granting licenses to third-country companies» in order to sell its weapons.
In 2014, Morocco had also used the same process to buy three Israeli UAVs of the Heron TP relying on French company Dassault as an intermediary for the Kingdom.