Ambassador Mustapha Mansouri confirmed the recall to pro-establishment media and said that strong and longstanding ties that are currently undergoing a “transient crisis” bind Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Mansouri explained that the recall is due to the airing by Saudi TV Channel Al Arabiya of a documentary that diverged from the Moroccan position on the Western Sahara issue, noting that Morocco, a member of the Arab coalition in Yemen’s war, no longer participates in military operations and did not attend the alliance’s recent military manoeuvres and ministerial meetings.

There was no official confirmation from Morocco’s foreign ministry. Mansouri did not respond to a request for comment. The Saudi embassy in Rabat declined to comment.

The Saudi Crown Prince was not received in Morocco last year while on a North African tour. Bourita, the foreign minister, said the visit did not take place due to what he described as a time conflict.

Morocco did not voice support for Saudi Arabia in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year, an incident that damaged Riyadh’s reputation internationally.