Somalia: Somaliland Denies Talks On Israeli Operations Against Houthis

Washington (Horndiplomat) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi "Irro" has denied that his government discussed allowing Israel to use Somaliland's territory or airspace for military operations against the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington, Abdullahi said Somaliland currently had no conflict with the Houthis.

"As a country, Somaliland, we don't have any conflict with the Houthis at the moment," Abdullahi said. "We haven't discussed possible Israeli operations against them."

Somaliland occupies a strategically important position on the Gulf of Aden, directly across from Yemen and close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's most important maritime trade routes.

Its location has prompted speculation that Israel could seek access to Somaliland's territory for security or intelligence operations following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Abdullahi said Somaliland and Yemen had been neighbours for thousands of years but gave no indication that Hargeisa intended to become involved in operations against the Houthis.

President Rejects Palestinian Resettlement Reports

Abdullahi separately denied reports that Somaliland had discussed accepting Palestinians displaced from Gaza as part of its diplomatic agreement with Israel.

"We haven't discussed it with Israel, we haven't discussed it with the Americans, we haven't discussed it with anyone," he said.

Somaliland has repeatedly rejected reports linking its international recognition campaign to the possible resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025, becoming the first United Nations member state to do so since Somaliland restored its independence in 1991.

Abdullahi said the declaration signed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu covered cooperation in security, trade, investment and economic development.

He said water technology would be Somaliland's principal area of cooperation with Israel because the Horn of Africa country has a semi-arid climate and regularly experiences water shortages.

SOURCE: The Jerusalem Post

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