Overview
- The Security Council held an emergency session Monday at Somalia's request to address Israel's recognition of Somaliland.
- Israel's Dec. 26 decision made it the first country to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state.
- Somalia, the Arab League, the African Union, Turkey, China and the EU denounced the move as a violation of Somalia's territorial integrity.
- Houthi leader Abdulmalik al Houthi warned any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be treated as a military target.
- The United States told the Council Israel can conduct diplomacy but said its own policy is unchanged, as Israeli officials cite Somaliland's strategic location near the Bab al-Mandeb as a key motive.