Somaliland delegation eyes Israeli military presence to strengthen cooperation against Houthis

Somaliland and Israel should develop a military partnership that could include an Israeli presence in Somaliland in order to strengthen cooperation against Houthi terrorists, Ahmed Dirie, chairperson of the executive committee of the Israel and Somaliland Friendship Association and head of a visiting delegation, told The Jerusalem Post.

Dirie said he envisioned a relationship in which Israel and Somaliland would assist one another against common threats, arguing that Somaliland’s position in the Horn of Africa and near the Bab al-Mandab Strait gives it particular strategic importance.

Asked whether Somaliland would be open to an Israeli military presence in the country, Dirie responded, “That’s right.”

“Somaliland has a very strategic point in Bab al-Mandab,” he said. “We have a problem there at the moment, and that problem, the only one who can solve it is Somaliland.”

“If they get help from the Israelis, they can beat the Houthis and make it safe,” he continued. “And we can operate in that area easily because of the location they have in Somaliland.”

Dirie’s comments come after months of speculation over whether Israel could eventually establish a military base in Somaliland.

In June, Somaliland Defense Minister Mohamed Yusuf Ali, speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Tel Aviv, told Reuters that there was no Israeli military presence in Somaliland and no negotiations underway to establish a base.

He did, however, confirm that Israel was training Somaliland military and police personnel.

Speaking to the Post that same month, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi similarly said an Israeli military presence had not been discussed, but left the door open to such an arrangement in the future.

“I cannot rule out the possibility that it could happen in the future,” Abdullahi said. “If our cooperation continues to deepen, our relationship could develop far beyond where it stands today.”

Earlier this month, Abdullahi told Israel Today that an Israeli and American military presence could have a deterrent effect in the region. Jewish News Syndicate reported on Tuesday that Abdullahi said he hoped the two countries would begin cooperating in the security sector before the end of the year.

Still, Abdullahi also told the Post earlier this month that Somaliland currently has no conflict with the Houthis and that his government had not discussed allowing Israel to use Somaliland territory or airspace for operations against the group.

Dirie calls for mutual military cooperation

Asked whether he envisioned something resembling a mutual-defense arrangement, under which Israel and Somaliland would assist one another if either came under attack, Dirie said, “That’s right. That’s what we need.”

“If anybody was attacked, they have to help each other,” he said.

Dirie repeatedly emphasized military cooperation as central to his vision for the developing relationship. He also described the Houthis as a direct threat to Somaliland.

“The Houthis want to attack Somaliland, and they want to attack Israel. They have to face this together,” he said.

Israel became the first UN member state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state in December 2025. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited the African country the following month, vowing to “vigorously advance relations” between the two countries.

In May, Dr. Mohamed Hagi presented his credentials to President Isaac Herzog, becoming Somaliland’s first ambassador to Israel. Somaliland opened its embassy in Jerusalem the following month.

Dirie said the next chapter in relations should involve “cooperation on everything: business cooperation, military cooperation, peace cooperation, as in protecting each other.”

“Israel and Somaliland are facing the same enemy at the moment,” he said.

Din Moriel, an Israeli member of the delegation, was more explicit about what an Israeli military presence could offer strategically.

“Obviously, them sitting in Bab al-Mandab, in the waterway, it’s right in front of the Houthis,” Moriel said. “So, having a military base there, having military presence there, and being able to use force whenever needed, without sending our airplanes so far across the world, would be very much of a help to Israel.”

Somaliland prepared to contribute up to 2,000 troops to Gaza force

Dirie also referred to Somaliland’s willingness to contribute soldiers to an international stabilization force in Gaza.

Abdullahi, speaking on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington earlier this month, said Somaliland was prepared to provide as many as 2,000 troops if requested, while stressing that the country had not yet been asked to contribute forces.