The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, issued a sharp warning to Tel Aviv after it formally recognised Somaliland, saying any Israeli presence in the breakaway Somalian region would be treated as a “military target”.
In a statement carried by local media outlets, Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said the Israeli move crossed a red line for the group.
The breakaway region lies right across the Red Sea from Yemen.
“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,” Mr al-Houthi said.
Israel announced on Friday that it was officially recognising Somaliland, marking the first time any country had extended formal recognition to the self-declared republic since it broke away from Somalia in the early 1990s.
Somaliland has operated as a de facto state for over three decades, maintaining its own currency, army and political institutions, but has remained diplomatically isolated.
The Houthi leader warned that Israel’s decision carried broader regional consequences, calling it “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”.
Analysts say Israel’s recognition of Somaliland can give it strategic access to the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea shipping lanes, complicating an already volatile security landscape.
Such access, they argue, can also strengthen Israel’s ability to strike Houthi positions in Yemen if hostilities resume.
The Houthis started targeting Israel-linked shipping and firing missiles towards Israel after the Benjamin Netanyahu government launched a war on Gaza in October 2023, describing their actions as an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel responded with repeated air strikes on targets in Yemen. The attacks largely came to a halt after a fragile truce took hold in Gaza this past October.
Somalia, which continues to suffer militant violence by Islamist groups as well as a persistent campaign of air strikes by the US military, condemned Israel’s move as a violation of its sovereignty.
Israel’s decision also drew criticism from a range of regional and international actors, including the African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The EU reiterated that Somalia’s territorial integrity must be respected.
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