Houthi Leader Threatens Israeli Presence in Somaliland, Calls It a “Military Target”
Warning follows Israel’s unprecedented recognition of the breakaway region, drawing sharp regional and international criticism.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The leader of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be treated as a legitimate military target, sharply escalating rhetoric following Israel’s decision to recognize the self-declared republic.
In a statement published Sunday by Houthi-affiliated media, Abdulmalik al-Houthi said Israel’s move amounted to aggression against both Somalia and Yemen and posed a serious threat to regional security.
“We consider any Israeli presence in Somaliland a military target for our armed forces,” he said, warning of “grave consequences” for what he described as a hostile stance targeting Somalia, its African surroundings, Yemen, and the Red Sea region.
Israel announced on Friday that it was officially recognizing Somaliland, marking the first such recognition for the territory, which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has remained internationally unrecognized.
Somaliland has long sought diplomatic legitimacy and operates with its own currency, passport, and security forces. It also occupies a strategically significant location along the Gulf of Aden, near key maritime routes linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
Regional experts suggest that closer ties with Somaliland could offer Israel greater strategic access to the Red Sea, potentially enhancing its ability to counter Houthi forces in Yemen.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has repeatedly struck targets in Yemen in response to Houthi missile and drone attacks, which the group said were carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Those attacks have largely halted since a fragile truce took hold in Gaza in October.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has drawn widespread criticism. The African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation all condemned the move.
The European Union also stressed that Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.
While Somaliland has generally enjoyed greater stability than Somalia—where Al-Shabaab militants continue to stage periodic attacks, including in the capital Mogadishu—it has remained diplomatically isolated for more than three decades, making Israel’s recognition a potentially consequential shift in regional dynamics.