Somaliland Denies Reports of Israeli Military Base Plans.

Hargeisa has rejected reports claiming that Israel is planning to build a military base in Somaliland to target Houthi rebels.

A Bloomberg report published on March 11 suggested that Israel and Somaliland were in talks to sign a security agreement, which would include granting Israel land near Berbera. The report indicated that Israel might establish a base on Somaliland’s Red Sea coast to counter the Houthis. In December, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a military target.

Mogadishu also denied the existence of such talks. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera in January that Israel would violate Somalia’s sovereignty if it built a base in Somaliland.

Somaliland’s Foreign Minister, Abdirahim Dahir Adam, told the BBC that relations with Israel are based on mutual interests. “The two countries recognize each other and can establish diplomatic and economic ties,” he said, stressing that the relationship does not extend to military cooperation.

Adam dismissed reports of land being allocated for a base, calling them “taken out of context.” He rejected claims of secret agreements as “propaganda aimed at tarnishing Somaliland.” He added: “These reports are not true. The claim about attacking the Houthis is propaganda by the enemies of Somaliland.”

The minister emphasized that Somaliland is not involved in the Yemeni conflict and that the Houthis pose no direct threat to Hargeisa. He noted that Somaliland’s ties with Israel should be viewed in the same light as its relations with other regional countries.

“Somaliland is ready to establish economic and strategic relations with Israel. Nothing has been initiated yet. If there is a discussion, it will be held openly,” Adam said. He described reports of a military base as “completely false,” adding that those behind them seek to distort Somaliland’s image internationally.