TEL AVIV: Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz heads Tuesday to Morocco on a visit that will “formalise” cooperation between the two countries, officials say, at a time when Rabat is embroiled in a standoff over Western Sahara.

The two-day trip comes less than a year after Morocco normalised ties with Israel in a deal brokered by former US president Donald Trump’s administration.

In return, Washington recognised the North African kingdom’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Gantz, the first Israeli defence minister to make an official visit to Morocco, will sign “a memorandum of understanding that will outline defence cooperation between the two countries”, his office said.

The trip aims to “set the foundation for all future security cooperation between Israel and Morocco”, a source familiar with the visit told AFP.

“Until now there has been some level of cooperation; this truly formalises it,” the source said.

Morocco controls most of Western Sahara and considers the former Spanish colony as its sovereign territory.