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Morocco Prepares for ‘African Lion 2023’ Military Drill

The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
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Morocco Prepares for ‘African Lion 2023’ Military Drill

The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)

Morocco announced Monday that the African Lion 2023 military exercise would be held between May 22 and June 16.

The announcement came during the planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 at the level of the South Zone Headquarters in Agadir, held between January 9 and 20, according to the General Staff of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.

The meeting included members of the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the representatives of the Moroccan and US armed forces.

The statement indicated they discussed the execution of various activities planned within the framework of the African Lion drills and chose the sites for the exercises.

The drills will include training in several operational areas and a planning exercise for staff executives, joint and combined maneuvers including land, airborne, maritime, special forces, air, civil-military action, and nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical decontamination, the statement said.

The US and Moroccan planners agreed on the modalities of the joint show between the FAR and the 23rd Utah State Army Band, which will be held on the sidelines of the operational activities of the African Lion 23.

The show is part of the activities planned on the 20th anniversary of the bilateral cooperation between the FAR and the Utah State National Guard.

African Lion 23 will take place from May 22 to June 16, 2023, in Agadir, Tantan, Al-Mahbes, Tiznit, Kenitra, Ben Guerir, and Tifnit.

African Lion is the most important multinational exercise on the African continent. It has been organized in Morocco over the past two decades, reflecting the strong cooperation between Morocco and the United States as a privileged strategic partner of the Kingdom.

The statement concluded that the participation of several countries, especially African ones, in this annual event establishes Morocco as a credible partner, open and committed to its origins and the ideals of the international community, namely peace, security, and co-development.

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Lebanese Army Blames Israel for Delay in Deploying Troops in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Lebanese Army Blames Israel for Delay in Deploying Troops in Southern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of controlled explosions during demolition activities undertaken by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila on January 24, 2025. (AFP)

Lebanon's army accused Israel of procrastinating in withdrawing troops from south Lebanon as required under a ceasefire that ended the war with Hezbollah, a day after Israel said its forces would remain beyond a Sunday deadline for their departure.

The Lebanese army, in a statement issued on Saturday, also urged Lebanese residents to wait before heading into the border region, citing the presence of mines and unexploded Israeli ordnance.

Under the US-brokered agreement, which took effect on Nov. 27, Hezbollah weapons and fighters must be removed from areas south of the Litani River and Israeli troops should withdraw as the Lebanese military deploys into the region, all within a 60-day time frame, meaning by Sunday at 4 a.m. (0200 GMT).

Israel's military confirmed on Saturday that it won't complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday.

In a statement, it said the agreement is progressing but in some sectors, “it has been delayed and will take slightly longer.”

It added that the withdrawal process will continue “in the near future,” but said that displaced residents from towns in southern Lebanon should not return.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday the terms had not been fully enforced by the Lebanese state. The White House said a short, temporary ceasefire extension was urgently needed.

The US-backed Lebanese army said it had continued to implement the plan to strengthen its deployment south of the Litani River since the ceasefire came into effect.

"Delays occurred in a number of the phases as a result of procrastination in the withdrawal by the Israeli enemy, which complicated the mission of the army's deployment," the statement said. The army "maintains its readiness to complete its deployment as soon as the Israeli enemy withdraws", it added.

The ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities which were triggered by the Gaza war and peaked in a major Israeli offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which uprooted more than a million people in Lebanon.

The Israeli government has not said how much longer its forces might remain in south Lebanon, where the Israeli military says it has been seizing Hezbollah weapons and dismantling infrastructure used by the armed group.

Hezbollah, which suffered major blows in the war, said on Thursday that any delay of Israel's withdrawal would be an unacceptable breach of the deal and put the onus on the Lebanese state to act. Hezbollah said the state would have to deal with such a violation "through all means and methods guaranteed by international charters".

Israel said its campaign against Hezbollah aimed to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people forced by Hezbollah rocket fire to leave their homes in northern Israel.