Houthis say Israeli forces in Somaliland to be considered military target

The leader of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis), Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has said that the movement would consider Israeli forces in Somaliland a military target.

“We consider any Israeli presence in the Somaliland region a military target for our armed forces, as it constitutes aggression against Somalia and Yemen and a threat to regional security,” al-Houthi said, Al Masirah reports.  

On December 26, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a declaration recognising the independence of Somaliland. More than 50 countries condemned the decision.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has existed as a de facto independent entity. Israel became the first country in the world to recognise the independence of the territory.

By Khagan Isayev