Houthi leader threatens to ‘target’ any Israeli presence in Somaliland

Rebel chief warns recognition of breakaway represents a ‘hostile stance’ toward Yemen, after move by Jerusalem widely seen as granting IDF better access to strike Iran-backed group

By AFP and ToI Staff 29 December 2025, 12:10 am

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A member of the Houthi security forces stands guard in front of a giant screen broadcasting leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa on September 19, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target,” according to a statement from the Iran-backed group published Sunday.

“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.

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

The Houthi 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 a rapprochement with Somaliland would provide Israel with better access to the Red Sea, enabling it to hit Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel’s announcement recognizing Somaliland’s statehood in downtown Hargeisa, December 26, 2025. (FARHAN ALELI / AFP)

The Houthis began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, firing more than 130 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.

Israel in response repeatedly attacked the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away. Since the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, the Houthis have halted their attacks on Israel and the IDF has not struck the rebel group.

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 criticized by the African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union and the US State Department also insisted that Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected. The UN Security Council is slated to hold an emergency session on Monday to discuss the Israeli recognition.