Sanaa, Yemen — A senior official in Yemen’s Houthi movement has warned that the group would treat any Israeli or US military presence in Somali waters as a “legitimate target”, after reports that Israel deployed forces to Somaliland following its recognition of the breakaway Somali region.
Mohammed al-Farah, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, said the group viewed the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait as central to Yemen’s national security.
“We regard the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait as a very important strategic region,” Farah said in remarks reported Monday.
“Any movement by the Zionist-American enemy there will be interpreted as an attempt to establish hostile influence, dominate vital waterways, and threaten the security of the entire region, including Saudi Arabia itself,” he added.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital Sanaa and much of the country’s north, have repeatedly targeted Israel and shipping they describe as Israeli-linked since the start of the Gaza war, turning the Bab al-Mandab into one of the world’s most volatile maritime chokepoints.
The narrow waterway links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and sits between Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea. Any escalation there threatens a route used by commercial shipping, energy supplies and international naval forces.
‘Red line’
Farah said any Israeli presence in Somali territorial waters would directly threaten Yemen.
“We in Yemen view such activities as a direct threat to Yemen’s national security and sovereignty,” he said.
He added that Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi had issued “a clear and stern warning” that the group would “deal forcefully” with any Israeli or American military presence in Somaliland.
Farah said the group would treat any such deployment as a “red line” and a “legitimate target”.
He also rejected the argument that foreign bases or military deployments were needed to secure the Red Sea, saying regional states, especially countries bordering the waterway, should take responsibility.
“The Red Sea is not an open arena for foreign powers,” he said, accusing Israel and the United States of seeking to use the route for “Zionist, aggressive, and American agendas and schemes”.
The warning followed a Middle East Eye report, cited by Somalia Today, that Israel sent around 50 soldiers to Somaliland after recognising the breakaway Somali region as an independent state in December.
The report, citing a senior Somali government official, said Somali intelligence believed the soldiers arrived after Israel resumed its war with Iran in late February.
The official claimed Israel selected soldiers of African heritage, “especially Ethiopians”, to avoid drawing attention.
Israel’s military declined to comment directly on the allegation, saying it was “a matter for the political echelon”, according to the report.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry later issued a blunt denial through several official accounts, saying: “FAKE NEWS.”
Somaliland authorities have not publicly confirmed the alleged deployment.
‘Training, not bases’
Somaliland’s Defence Minister Mohamed Yusuf Ali has denied that Israel has established a military base in the territory, but confirmed Israeli security support.
“There is no Israeli military presence or military bases in Somaliland,” he said. “But Israel is helping Somaliland… they are supporting to train some of our police and military.”
The denial has not ended speculation about the military dimension of the new relationship.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said during talks with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in Israel that the two sides had maintained quiet security ties for years.
“For many years, we cooperated under the radar in a series of operations that will remain classified,” Katz said.
At a Tel Aviv business forum, Abdullahi presented Somaliland as a strategic and commercial partner for Israel.
“Somaliland is open for business, and Somaliland is ready for Israeli investment,” he said.
Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland on December 26, a move Hargeisa welcomed, but Mogadishu fiercely rejected.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 as the Somali state collapsed into civil war. It has since built its own institutions and maintained relative stability, but has not secured broad international recognition.
Somalia’s federal government says Somaliland remains an integral part of its sovereign territory and has described Israel’s recognition as unlawful interference and a direct assault on Somali unity.
Berbera, Somaliland’s main port, sits on the Gulf of Aden near the approaches to the Bab al-Mandab, making it strategically valuable for foreign powers seeking influence over Red Sea routes.
The Houthis this month announced a ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea after renewed regional escalation, heightening fears that any Israeli foothold near Yemen could turn Somaliland and Somali waters into a new regional flashpoint.
