Somaliland is seeking to deepen security cooperation with Israel, including by obtaining air-defense systems, amid Turkey’s growing military presence in Somalia, senior Somaliland presidential foreign affairs adviser Mohamed Osman Fadal said in an interview Middle East Eye published this week.
“We need air-defense systems,” Fadal said. “We want Israel to support us against Turkey.”
According to Fadal, the deployment of Turkish F-16 fighter jets in Somalia and Ankara’s expanding drone capabilities are among the reasons officials in Hargeisa want to strengthen Somaliland’s defenses. Turkey deployed military aircraft to Somalia this year, and three Turkish F-16s participated in an April flyover over Mogadishu as part of celebrations marking Somali Armed Forces Day.
The remarks offered a rare glimpse into how Somaliland views its developing relationship with Israel. In recent months, reports have also increased regarding the possibility of an Israeli military presence at the port of Berbera.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud claimed on Friday that Israel was planning to establish a naval base in the city and also use its airport.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and President Isaac Herzog during Abdullahi’s first official state visit to Israel, June 14, 2026. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Somaliland denied that such an agreement exists. Its defense minister said in June that there was no Israeli military presence and no negotiations over establishing a base. He did, however, confirm that Israel provides training to Somaliland’s military and police.
Somaliland sees Israel as counterweight to Turkey, Somalia ties
Officials in Hargeisa have described Israel as a potential counterweight to the increasingly close cooperation between Somalia and Turkey.
Mohamed Abdirahman Hassan, director-general of Somaliland’s Foreign Ministry, told Middle East Eye that officials in Hargeisa fear the Somali government is considering military action against Somaliland and that Turkey could assist it.
The claim has not been independently verified, however, and Somalia’s federal government has not announced any plan to invade Somaliland.
Turkey is considered one of Somalia’s main strategic allies. In 2017, Ankara opened its largest overseas military training facility in Mogadishu and has since trained thousands of Somali security personnel.
In 2024, Turkey and Somalia signed a 10-year defense and economic cooperation agreement that includes assistance in building, training, and equipping Somalia’s navy and strengthening maritime security. Turkey has also expanded its involvement in the energy sector, including oil and gas exploration off Somalia’s coast.
Analysts question Somaliland’s warnings over Turkey
Not everyone is convinced by Somaliland’s warnings.
Mogadishu-based analyst Ahmed Abdi told Somalia Today that, in his view, Turkey does not pose a significant threat to Somaliland and that the statements are largely aimed at audiences outside the region.
According to Abdi, Somaliland is seeking to position itself alongside Western actors that criticize Turkey or support Israel, hoping the secure greater international support and further recognition.
Abdi assessed that the strategy was unlikely to succeed, in part because Turkey is a NATO member and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan maintains ties with US President Donald Trump.
He said Somaliland would have a stronger case if it based its demand for recognition on its own achievements and status rather than on opposition to other countries.
The reports also challenge the assumption that closer security ties between Israel and Somaliland are driven primarily by the Houthi threat across the Gulf of Aden.
Hassan told Middle East Eye that Somaliland does not support confrontation with the Houthis and instead prefers direct political dialogue.
Somaliland, Israel differ over approach to Houthi threat
That position differs significantly from Israel’s approach, after the Houthis have attacked Israel and shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the years.
The gap may indicate that, from Somaliland’s perspective, Turkey and its relationship with the Somali government currently represent a more central security concern than the Houthis.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since maintained its own governing and security institutions. According to the report, Israel is currently the only country to have formally recognized it as a sovereign state.