Israel Plans New Foothold on the Red Sea to Fight the Houthis
- Simon Marks
- Mar 12
- 2 min read
Original Author: Simon Marks
Original Publication: Bloomberg
Date: March 11, 2026
Curated Excerpt (Fair Use)
Amid an escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, Israel is actively laying the groundwork for a potential military and intelligence base in Somaliland. Following its unprecedented diplomatic recognition of the breakaway republic in December 2025, Jerusalem is now reportedly advancing a strategic security partnership aimed at targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels. According to Somaliland’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, while a formal military base is still under analysis, the partnership will "definitely" encompass comprehensive security cooperation.
The strategic logic is heavily dictated by geography. Somaliland’s coastline sits just 160 miles across the Gulf of Aden from Houthi strongholds in Yemen, offering Israel a critical forward-operating presence to monitor and counter the militant group that has severely disrupted Red Sea shipping. The report notes that Israeli security officials have already scouted coastal locations—including high terrain west of the UAE-operated Berbera port—while Somaliland military officers recently traveled to Israel for specialized training. Furthermore, Israel has secured facilities in Hargeisa as it prepares to establish an embassy.
This rapidly deepening alliance is heightening regional friction, placing Israel in direct competition with Turkey, which recently deployed F-16 fighter jets to its massive military base in Mogadishu to support the central Somali government. Meanwhile, Hargeisa is leveraging its newfound geopolitical capital to pursue its ultimate goal: diplomatic recognition from the United States. Somaliland has mobilized Republican-aligned lobbyists in Washington, offering the Trump administration exclusive access to rare earth minerals, oil reserves, and military infrastructure like Berbera's three-mile runway, hoping to catalyze a decisive shift in U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa.
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