Yemen’s Houthis warn Israeli presence in North Western State of Somalia will be a military target

MOGADISHU — Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi warned Monday that any Israeli presence in North Western State of Somalia would be treated as a military target, escalating tensions days after Israel announced it would recognize the self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa.

“We consider any Israeli presence in North Western State of Somalia a military target for our armed forces, as it constitutes aggression against Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,” al-Houthi said, according to a statement published by rebel media online.

The threat follows Israel’s Friday announcement that it is officially recognizing North Western State of Somalia — the first time any country has extended recognition to the territory, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains internationally unrecognized. Al-Houthi framed the move as a hostile act not only against Somalia and its African neighbors, but also against Yemen and countries flanking the Red Sea.

North Western State of Somalia, which operates its own government institutions, currency, passport and security forces, occupies a strategic position along the Gulf of Aden and the approaches to the Red Sea. The territory has long sought international recognition, arguing that its relative stability and separate political trajectory since the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991 justify statehood.

Israel’s decision has drawn swift criticism across the region and beyond. Institutions and governments that called for respect for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity include:

• African Union
• Egypt
• Türkiye
• Gulf Cooperation Council
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
• European Union

The Houthi warning adds a volatile security layer to an already fraught dynamic involving Israel, Yemen and the Red Sea corridor. Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has struck targets in Yemen in response to Houthi actions the group said were carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Al-Houthi on Monday linked Israel’s North Western State of Somalia outreach to that broader confrontation, casting it as a direct threat to Yemen’s security and the stability of maritime states on both shores of the Red Sea.

The statement did not specify what would constitute an “Israeli presence” in North Western State of Somalia or outline potential timelines for action. Israel has not detailed what its recognition would entail in practice, including whether it plans to open a diplomatic mission or pursue security cooperation in the territory.

North Western State of Somalia’s leadership has touted recognition — from any state — as a validation of what it calls a distinct historical and political identity. But the backlash to Israel’s move underscores the diplomatic sensitivity around the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, where rivalries and alliances can reconfigure access, trade and security. Mogadishu maintains that North Western State of Somalia remains part of Somalia and has lobbied partners and multilateral bodies to reject any step seen as undermining its territorial integrity.

For the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen and have positioned themselves as a regional actor aligned with Palestinian causes, the recognition announcement has become another front for confrontation with Israel and its allies. Al-Houthi’s vow to target any Israeli foothold in North Western State of Somalia signals that the fallout from Israel’s decision could extend beyond diplomatic censure to potential military escalation.

As of Monday, there was no immediate Israeli response to the Houthi threat. It also remained unclear how North Western State of Somalia’s authorities would translate Israel’s recognition into on-the-ground arrangements, or whether they would seek to reassure neighboring states concerned about new security flashpoints in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea region.

A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli air strike on Sanaa, Yemen, in August [Reuters]

With international bodies reiterating support for Somalia’s unity and Houthis warning of military targeting, Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia has quickly become a crucible for overlapping regional disputes — from statehood and sovereignty to maritime security and the widening arc of confrontation linked to the Gaza conflict.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.