Somalia has issued a stern warning against the use of its territory for foreign military operations following reports that Israel plans to establish a military base in the breakaway region of Somaliland, across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen.
“Somalia does not want to see its territory pulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilise an already sensitive region,” Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera on Thursday.
The warnings follow media reports from Bloomberg and Sweden’s public radio Ekot claiming Israeli intentions to set up a military installation near the strategic port city of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden.
The developments occur as the US-Israeli war on Iran approaches its second week, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and Houthi forces warning they may enter the conflict.
Somaliland’s presidency minister, Khadar Abdi, told Bloomberg that the region seeks a “strategic relationship” with Israel that “encompasses a lot of things,” but he clarified that the possibility of a military base had not yet been discussed.
Omar emphasized that the Somali federal government is “the only authority empowered to enter into international security or military arrangements on behalf of the country.” He added, “Any discussions about foreign military facilities on Somali territory that take place outside that framework simply have no legal standing.”
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognised by any UN member state until Israel formally recognised the breakaway region in December 2025. Somalia continues to claim Somaliland, which has maintained de facto autonomy for more than three decades.
Somaliland officials have not revealed the details of the diplomatic arrangements agreed upon with Israel.
