The breakaway state of Somaliland has requested Israeli air defenses to counter an alleged Turkish military buildup in Somalia, Middle East Eye (MEE) cited officials in Hargeisa as saying.
“Somaliland wants Israel to provide air defense systems to counter a build-up of Turkish drones and warplanes next door,” Somaliland officials told the outlet.
Mohammad Osman Fadal, a senior advisor to the president of the breakaway state, is cited as saying: “We need air defense systems.”
“Turkiye has F-16s in Mogadishu, and it wants to build a drone base in Somalia,” he added. “We want Israel to support us against Turkiye.”
The report goes on to state that “diplomatic normalization with Israel in January 2026 … was, in part, motivated by the need to check Turkiye’s growing military footprint in Somalia.”
Other Somaliland officials and analysts told MEE that the breakaway republic believes closer security relations with Israel can help it counter Mogadishu and Ankara.
Mohamed Abdirahman Hassan, the director general of Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, defended the normalization deal with Israel in an interview with MEE.
“We have been too good. We had been reaching out to Arab and Muslim countries for recognition since 1991. We had to move on. Israel recognized a gap here. We are proud to partner with the Israelis.”
Late last year, Israel became the first state to recognize the breakaway Somaliland region as an independent state.
Somaliland had functioned as a de facto state since declaring independence in 1991, with its own governing institutions and security structures – despite receiving no recognition from any UN member state and facing sustained opposition from Somalia.
The Somali government slammed the move at the time, along with several regional countries, including Turkiye.
Since the start of this year, Somaliland officials have made official visits to Israel.
Washington is reportedly not looking to recognize Somaliland. A State Department report titled “Potential Areas for Improved US Engagement with Somaliland” was submitted to Congress in June this year.
In that report, the State Department said that Somaliland was a part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
“Within that framework, the US maintains a positive, constructive relationship with Somaliland and continues to explore additional opportunities for engagement with Somaliland authorities,” the report said.
However, the report also reaffirmed “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia.
The Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), which is currently engaged in a heated war with Saudi Arabia and its proxies inside Yemen, has vowed to target any Israeli presence in Somaliland.
Source:MEE
