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Somalia has warned Israel against establishing a military base in the breakaway region of Somaliland amid reports the territory could be used to monitor and potentially launch operations against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Back in December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state, breaking with decades of international policy that views the territory as part of Somalia. Somaliland, located in northern Somalia along the Gulf of Aden, declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government and has since operated as a self-governing entity with its own institutions, elections, and security forces. However, it has struggled to gain international recognition, as Somalia’s federal government continues to consider Somaliland an integral part of its sovereign territory. At the time, Somalia’s president called Israel’s move a “naked invasion” and declared Israel an “enemy.”

What’s going on now: In an interview with Al Jazeera, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, Ali Omar, warned that Somali territory must not be used as a platform for foreign military operations after reports suggested Israel was exploring plans to establish a base in Somaliland. The reports, published by Bloomberg and Sweden’s public radio Ekot, said Israeli officials had been assessing potential sites near the port city of Berbera on Somaliland’s Gulf of Aden coastline, roughly 160 miles from Yemen. The location is considered strategically important because it sits near the entrance to the Red Sea and close to key shipping lanes linking the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, giving any military presence there direct proximity to Yemen and the Houthis.

Somaliland officials have said security cooperation with Israel is under consideration, with the territory potentially allowing Israel to collect intelligence and conduct monitoring activities aimed at the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen.

Somalia’s government has strongly rejected the idea, insisting that any foreign military presence in Somaliland would be illegal without approval from Mogadishu. “The Federal Government is the only authority empowered to enter into international security or military arrangements on behalf of the country,” Omar said. “Any discussions about foreign military facilities on Somali territory that take place outside that framework simply have no legal standing.”

Omar also warned that turning Somaliland into a base for foreign military operations could deepen instability in the region and expose Somali communities to wider geopolitical conflicts. “Somalia does not want to see its territory pulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilise an already sensitive region,” he said, adding that steps that could draw Somalia into broader conflicts “are not in the interest of our people.”

There has been no comment from the Israeli government.