Israeli presence in Somaliland will be considered a “military target,” the leader of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels warned on Sunday, in the latest condemnation of Israel's recognition of the breakaway region.
“We consider any Israeli presence in Somaliland a military target for our armed forces, as it constitutes aggression against Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,” said the group's chief Abdulmalik Al Houthi, according to a statement published by the group.
Israel announced on Friday that it had formally recognised Somaliland, a self-declared independent state in the Horn of Africa, on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, bordering Somalia and Djibouti.
The Houthi leader warned that the move carried consequences, saying recognition was “a hostile stance targeting Somalia and its African surroundings, as well as Yemen, the Red Sea, and the countries along both shores of the Red Sea”.
Somaliland's port city of Berbera could allow Israel better access to the Red Sea, a vital artery for commercial shipping that overlooks Bab Al Mandeb, which is a choke point for global trade.
Israel's recognition of Somaliland has been criticised by the African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the GCC and the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The EU insisted Somalia's sovereignty should be respected.
No country had recognised Somaliland in more than three decades, despite it operating its own government, currency, passports and security forces. The region has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence in 1991.
Israel repeatedly struck targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed Houthis have halted their attacks since a fragile truce began in Gaza in October.
This year, US and Israeli officials told the Associated Press that Israel had approached Somaliland about taking in Palestinians from Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump's plan at the time to resettle the territory's population. The US has since abandoned that plan.
