Armed elements of the Polisario militia have posted photos of Iranian-made Arash 122 mm rockets on social media. Tehran's military industry has improved the range of this new version of the Russian Katyusha to 40 kilometers. However, this development has come at the expense of the rocket's explosive charge, which has lost some of its impact, according to a former Polisario member. This is evident from the projectiles fired by the Front in October and November 2023 at Es-Smara, and at El Mahbes on November 5, 2024. The appearance of these short-range missiles coincides with Morocco and Iran initiating negotiations to resume diplomatic relations, which have been severed since May 1, 2018.
