The Polisario Front claimed responsibility for a May 5 projectile attack in Smara, a city in the Moroccan-controlled part of Western Sahara, targeting areas near the city prison and cemetery and resulting in one injury, according to Moroccan authorities, Hespress reported on May 7. The United States mission to the United Nations condemned the attack in a May 7 post on X, writing, "Such violence threatens regional stability and the progress made towards peace. These actions are inconsistent with the spirit of the recent talks."

While most Polisario Front attacks have been across the sand berm dividing the disputed territory, the group has sporadically attacked cities in the Moroccan-controlled portion of Western Sahara, including Smara. Such attacks have often drawn international rebuke due to the risk to civilians. In February, the United States mediated negotiations between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania in an effort to resolve the Western Sahara dispute, but there was no tangible progress due to Morocco's and the Polisario Front's divergent positions and because the United States has limited credibility as a mediator due to its backing of Morocco's Western Sahara plan.