Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has issued a direct threat following Israel’s historic recognition of Somaliland, warning it would treat “any Israeli presence in Somaliland as a military target.”
In a speech broadcast Sunday by the Houthi-run Saba News Agency, the group’s leader Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi accused Israel of seeking the “disintegration and fragmentation of other countries” and framed the recognition as a threat to both Somalia and Yemen.
“We emphasize our firm stand with the brotherly Somali people against Israel,” al-Houthi said, adding that the Houthis would take “all possible support measures” in response. He ended by calling on Yemenis to rally behind the Palestinian cause, claiming failure to do so would open the door to what he described as Israeli “conspiracies” worldwide.
The warning comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally recognized the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, making Israel the first UN member country to do so. Netanyahu said the move was made “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” launched under former US President Donald Trump.
Somaliland has functioned as a separate, stable state since 1991, following the collapse of Somalia, and has maintained peace, democratic elections, and internal security for more than three decades. Mogadishu has consistently lobbied international actors to block recognition of Somaliland.
Hargeisa views Israel’s decision as a diplomatic breakthrough that could encourage other nations to follow, expanding Somaliland’s international standing and access to global markets. The Houthi threat now underscores the wider regional stakes, as Red Sea tensions and Middle East conflicts increasingly intersect with the Horn of Africa’s shifting geopolitical landscape.
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