Houthis say IDF presence in Somaliland would be ‘military target’

By AFP and ToI Staff 28 December 2025, 11:53 pm

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Supporters of Yemen's Houthis raise placards and flags during a rally marking Independence Day, the anniversary of the end of British rule in southern Yemen in 1967, in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa on November 30, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

The leader of the Houthi terror group in Yemen warns that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target.”

Somaliland, which has for decades pushed for international recognition, enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden. Israel announced its recognition of Somaliland on Friday.

“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,” Abdulmalik al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed terror group, says in a statement.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland 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,” he adds.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre. Israel has attacked Houthi targets in response.

The group has abided by ceasefires between Israel and Hamas.