Houthi leader says Israeli presence in Somaliland will be considered 'military target'

Recognition of breakaway region draws condemnation from African Union, Muslim-majority nations

The leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a "military target", according to a statement published on Sunday. This is the latest condemnation of Israel's move to recognise 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 rebel media online.

Read: Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland as independent state

Israel on Friday announced that it was officially recognising Somaliland, a first for the self-proclaimed republic that in 1991 declared it had unilaterally separated from Somalia.

The Houthis' chief warned that the move carried grave 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, which has for decades pushed for international recognition, enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passport and army. Regional analysts believe that rapprochement with Somaliland would provide Israel with better access to the Red Sea, enabling it to hit Houthi rebels in Yemen.

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.

Read More: Over 20 muslim countries condemn Israel's Somaliland recognition

The Iran-backed Houthis have halted their attacks since a fragile truce began in Gaza in October while Somaliland has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence, even if it has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabaab Islamic militants periodically mount attacks in the capital, Mogadishu.

Israel's recognition of Somaliland was criticised by the African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. However, the European Union insisted Somalia's sovereignty should be respected.