Overview
- Israel and Somaliland signed a joint declaration to establish full diplomatic relations with ambassadors and future embassies, and Israel invited Somaliland’s president to visit.
- Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned the move threatens regional stability and said his country will never accept the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza to Somaliland.
- Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel Malek al‑Houthi declared that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be treated as a military target.
- Egypt, Turkey, Djibouti, the Arab League, the GCC, the African Union, and the European Union criticized the step, with the EU urging respect for Somalia’s sovereignty.
- Analysts link Israel’s decision to Red Sea access and countering Houthi influence, while President Trump said the United States would not recognize Somaliland at this time.