News - Yemen: In a forceful and detailed response, the leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, has issued a stark warning that any Israeli military presence established in the breakaway region of Somaliland will be considered a "legitimate target" for the Yemeni Armed Forces. 

This statement, framed as a defense of Somali sovereignty and regional security, marks a significant escalation in rhetoric and outlines a potential new front in the Yemen's confrontational regional policy with the Israeli enemy.

The leader's declaration, characterized by experts as a transition "from warning to defining rules of engagement," condemns Israel's recognition of Somaliland as an aggressive act of partition directly targeting Somalia, Yemen, and the security of the Red Sea. He positioned the move as part of a broader scheme to "change the Middle East" and establish a Zionist foothold in a critical geostrategic zone.

Closing the Geographic Gap: Military expert Brigadier General Omar Ma'arbooni emphasized that an Israeli presence in northern Somaliland would drastically shorten the operational distance to key Yemeni targets. 

He noted that the distance from potential bases there to Sana'a (approx. 460-500 km) is far less than from "Israel" itself, mitigating what has been a significant geographic constraint for any direct Israeli military action against Yemen. This proximity would facilitate the use of missiles, drones, and naval assets against Yemen.

Encircling Yemen and Threatening the Red Sea: Experts framed the move as an attempt to outflank Yemen's maritime influence. 

They suggested a potential Israeli aim, in coordination with existing presences in Eritrea and Ethiopia, could be to establish integrated command, control, and air defense systems. This network could challenge Yemen's ability to project power into the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, directly threatening Yemen's Armed Forces primary lever of influence—their anti-shipping campaign launched in support of Gaza.

Link to Southern Yemen Secession: The analysts explicitly connected the Somaliland issue to the internal Yemeni conflict. They affirmed that the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks southern Yemen's secession, is similarly seeking Israeli recognition in exchange for normalization. A successful separatist precedent in Somaliland, backed by the Israeli enemy, is seen as encouraging similar fragmentation projects in Yemen, with external support.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Tel Aviv had formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations.

The move has drawn widespread international condemnation, including from Somalia, the African Union, the Arab League, and several regional powers, who view it as a violation of Somalia's territorial integrity.

Addressing an emergency joint session of parliament on Sunday, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Netanyahu had committed the “greatest abuse” of Somalia’s sovereignty in the nation’s history.