Two Israeli paratroopers wounded in Morocco multinational military exercises

Two Israeli paratroopers were wounded in a car crash while taking part in the 2025 edition of the African Lion multinational exercise held in Morocco on Thursday, as Israel marked its third consecutive year participating in the drill. 

The injuries were confirmed in a statement by the Israeli military, cited by Israeli news outlet The Jerusalem Post, which added that the soldiers have since been transferred to a hospital for treatment. 

According to the Israeli military, the injured soldiers - members of the parachute and air transport unit of the Marom Brigade (an acronym in Hebrew for Merkaz Rouhni Moukhaf, meaning "Centre for Spiritual Radiation")- were assessed to be in "moderate" condition by medical teams at the scene. 

The military did not provide further details regarding the exact location or circumstances of the crash. 

The soldiers were part of Israel’s delegation to the large-scale drill, in which over two dozen countries participate. 

Israel’s KAN broadcaster first reported the Israeli delegation’s arrival on Tuesday- joining 20 other countries including Arab states- in the major military exercise, which is taking place amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza. 

Last year, amid the Gaza War, Israel also appeared to take part in the African Lion exercises. It first participated in 2023, before the war broke out

The African Lion exercise - Africa’s largest military drill - is partially hosted in Morocco and jointly led by the United States and the Moroccan armed forces. 

US and Moroccan troops make up the majority of participants, and African Lion serves as the flagship operation within the US Africa Command (AFRICOM)’s training strategy. 

Since normalising relations in December 2020, Morocco and Israel have deepened cooperation across the military, security, trade, and tourism sectors. 

However, this faces widespread political and public opposition within the North African kingdom particularly in light of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip. 

There have been frequent pro-Palestinian protests in Moroccan cities ever since the Gaza War broke out.

The Israeli war has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Thousands of uncounted victims are also believed to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

This figure includes nearly 3,000 people who have been killed since Israel broke a January ceasefire on 18 March.