The rebel group has warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be a legitimate military target for its forces<\/p>\n
Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared any Israeli presence in the breakaway region of Somaliland a legitimate military target. The warning comes days after Israel became the first country to recognize the independence of the Somalian territory.\u00a0
\nIn a statement on Sunday, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi stated that Israel\u2019s move constitutes \u201caggression against Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,\u201d stressing that the militant group will \u201cconsider any Israeli presence in Somaliland a military target for our armed forces.\u201d
\nThe group, which has halted attacks on Israel since a Gaza truce in October, framed the threat as an act of solidarity, while accusing Israel of seeking to conduct \u201chostile activities.\u201d
\nThe warning follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar\u2019s signing of a declaration on Friday recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign state, making West Jerusalem the first government to officially do so.
\nLocated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden in East Africa, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has remained internationally isolated. Netanyahu stated that the move was made \u201cin the spirit\u201d of the Abraham Accords and invited Somaliland\u2019s president for an official visit.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Israel faces backlash over recognition of African territory<\/p>\n
Somalia\u2019s government denounced the move as a \u201cdeliberate attack\u201d on its sovereignty. Israel\u2019s actions have also triggered a wave of international condemnation as a broad coalition of nations and organizations have rejected the move.\u00a0
\nCritics include Egypt, T\u00fcrkiye, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the European Union, all of which have reaffirmed support for Somalia\u2019s territorial integrity. US President Donald Trump has also indicated that he does not currently intend to follow Israel\u2019s lead.
\nThe African Union warned it \u201crisks setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent,\u201d affirming that Somaliland remains part of Somalia.\u00a0
\nExperts note the strategic motive behind Israel\u2019s recognition could be to gain access to Somaliland\u2019s port of Berbera, which could provide Israel with better access to the Red Sea, enhancing its ability to monitor or strike Houthi positions in Yemen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The rebel group has warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be a legitimate military target for its forces Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared any Israeli presence in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t