Ahmed Dirie, chairperson of the executive committee of the Israel and Somaliland Friendship Association and head of a visiting delegation, said in remarks published by The Jerusalem Post on September 23, 2026 that Somaliland and Israel should develop a military partnership that could include an Israeli presence in Somaliland to strengthen cooperation against the Houthis. Asked whether Somaliland would be open to an Israeli military presence in the country, Dirie said, "That's right."
Dirie calls for Israel-Somaliland military partnership against Houthis
Ahmed Dirie, chairperson of the executive committee of the Israel and Somaliland Friendship Association and head of a visiting delegation, said in remarks published by The Jerusalem Post on September 23, 2026 that Somaliland and Israel should develop a military partnership that could include an Israeli presence in Somaliland to strengthen cooperation against the Houthis. Asked whether Somaliland would be open to an Israeli military presence in the country, Dirie said, "That's right."
Dirie said he envisioned a relationship in which Israel and Somaliland would assist one another against common threats, and argued that Somaliland's position in the Horn of Africa and near the Bab al-Mandab Strait gives it particular strategic importance. "Somaliland has a very strategic point in Bab al-Mandab," he said. "We have a problem there at the moment, and that problem, the only one who can solve it is Somaliland." He continued: "If they get help from the Israelis, they can beat the Houthis and make it safe." Asked whether he envisioned something resembling a mutual-defense arrangement, under which each would assist the other if either came under attack, Dirie said, "That's right. That's what we need."
His comments follow months of speculation over whether Israel could eventually establish a military base in Somaliland. In June 2026, Somaliland Defense Minister Mohamed Yusuf Ali, speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Tel Aviv, told Reuters there was no Israeli military presence in Somaliland and no negotiations underway to establish a base; he confirmed that Israel was training Somaliland military and police personnel. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post the same month, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said an Israeli military presence had not been discussed but left open the possibility of such an arrangement. "I cannot rule out the possibility that it could happen in the future," Abdullahi said. "If our cooperation continues to deepen, our relationship could develop far beyond where it stands today."
In September 2026, Abdullahi told Israel Today that an Israeli and American military presence could have a deterrent effect in the region, and Jewish News Syndicate reported on Tuesday that he said he hoped the two countries would begin cooperating in the security sector before the end of the year. Abdullahi also told The Jerusalem Post earlier that month that Somaliland currently has no conflict with the Houthis and that his government had not discussed allowing Israel to use Somaliland territory or airspace for operations against the group.
Israel became the first UN member state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state in December 2025. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited the country the following month, vowing to "vigorously advance relations" between the two. In May, Dr. Mohamed Hagi presented his credentials to President Isaac Herzog, becoming Somaliland's first ambassador to Israel, and Somaliland opened its embassy in Jerusalem the following month.
Dirie also referred to Somaliland's willingness to contribute soldiers to an international stabilization force in Gaza. Abdullahi, speaking on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington in September 2026, said Somaliland was prepared to provide as many as 2,000 troops if requested, while stressing that the country had not yet been asked to contribute forces.
- The source does not state whether Israeli government officials have responded to Dirie's call or whether Israel is considering a military presence in Somaliland.
- The source does not state when or where Dirie was interviewed, or whether the visiting delegation met with Israeli officials.
- The source does not state the official standing of the Israel and Somaliland Friendship Association.
- The source does not state which body would request Somaliland troops for Gaza, what the force's mandate would be, or when a request might be made.
- The source does not state the size or composition of Somaliland's military or what form the Israeli training of its personnel takes.
- The source does not state whether the Houthis have commented on Dirie's remarks.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post