Above photo: Osamah Yahya/dpa/Getty Images.
Hebrew media revealed that the Israeli recognition of Somaliland last week followed months of secret negotiations between the two sides.
The leader of Yemen’s Ansarallah resistance movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, warned in a speech on 28 December that any potential Israeli presence in Somaliland will be considered a “military target” for the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF).
The speech came as several African, Arab, and Muslim states condemned Israel’s decision last week to recognize the sovereignty of the separatist Republic of Somaliland, which Somalia views as one of its federal states.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is “a hostile stance targeting Somalia and its African surroundings, as well as Yemen and the Red Sea and the countries on its shores,” Houthi said on Sunday. “This aggressive Zionist move is aimed at establishing a foothold in Somalia to target the region, and also to fragment the countries of the region in a plan that is not limited to Somalia … its declared goal is to change the whole region. All of this requires our nation to confront it in all forms.”
“Any Israeli presence in the Somaliland region will be considered a military target for our armed forces, as it constitutes an aggression on Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,” he added. “We will not accept that a part of Somalia be turned into a foothold for the Israeli enemy at the expense of Somalia’s independence, sovereignty, and the security of the Somali people and the region and the Red Sea.”
Ansarallah and the YAF, which are merged with one another, were among the first to open a front against Israel at the start of the genocide in Gaza following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023. They carried out scores of successful missile and drone strikes against Israeli targets, and opened up a naval front that decimated global shipping and Israeli maritime interests for two years.
Yemen also faced a deadly US military campaign, which began under former US president Joe Biden and was renewed under President Donald Trump. This, along with scores of brutal Israeli airstrikes on the country, failed to impact Sanaa’s military capabilities.
The Yemeni operations halted after the Gaza ceasefire, but Houthi warned last month that a “new” and “full-scale” confrontation will “inevitably” erupt at some point. For several years, Israel has taken part in a wide-scale Emirati occupation of Yemen’s ports, waterways, and islands.
Several other Arab, Islamic, and African states have condemned the Israeli decision on Friday to recognize Somaliland.
Israel has become the first to formally recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991 but had never been recognized by any UN member state.
Somali officials have slammed the move. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Barre said that Israel was “searching for a foothold in the Horn of Africa” and called on it to recognize and accept a Palestinian state instead. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud referred to the move as a “naked invasion” and said it poses a “threat to regional stability.”
The Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), African Union, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also strongly rejected the Israeli recognition of Somaliland. Iran and China have also condemned it.
The Israeli government has been aiming for Somaliland to serve as a potential destination for Palestinians that Tel Aviv aims to forcibly displace from Gaza, according to multiple reports over the past year.
After Trump announced plans to expel the strip’s population and transform Gaza into a “Riviera,” talks to relocate large numbers of Palestinians reportedly began with several African states, including Somaliland and Morocco. Trump walked back his comments earlier this year, but efforts to expel Palestinians have continued.
Israeli news outlet i24 reported that the recognition of Somaliland came after months of secret negotiations.
Israeli sources cited by the outlet said the secret talks included “contacts, exchange of delegations, and frequent meetings, in addition to drafting a joint recognition statement.”
They were attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, the Mossad, and former Israeli national security advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, with the direct approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October, the report added.
Israeli news site Ynet reported that the delay in the announcement of the recognition came at the request of Somaliland, which “sought to complete security preparations in anticipation of any possible escalation” with Ansarallah and the YAF.
The report notes Somaliland’s importance in the context of regional and international competition for influence in the Horn of Africa and for securing global trade routes.
