European Researchers: “Somaliland” Poised to Become an Israeli Base in the Red Sea in Partnership with the UAE
European studies speak of a new Zionist positioning near Bab al-Mandab to monitor Yemen and target the Houthis… Ansar Allah leadership vows retaliation.
NYN | Reports and Analyses
European research institutes and study centers have revealed new Israeli moves aimed at establishing a strategic foothold near Yemen’s coastline, through full partnership with the UAE, by turning the separatist region of Somaliland into a military and security hub in the Red Sea.
According to the studies, this direction comes amid growing Israeli acknowledgment of its inability to exert intelligence and military influence on the Yemeni front, particularly following the escalation of maritime operations carried out by Sana’a forces in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
New Positioning Near Bab al-Mandab
Italian researcher Guido Lanfranchi, a specialist in Horn of Africa affairs and fellow at the Clingendael Institute, explained that Israel primarily seeks to obtain a foothold near Bab al-Mandab and the Yemeni coast in order to monitor movements and target Yemeni capabilities in the medium and long term.
Lanfranchi noted that economic motives behind this move carry “less weight” compared to geostrategic considerations linked to securing Israeli interests in the Red Sea.
Eilat Out of Service… The Red Sea at the Heart of Israeli Concern
According to the same researcher, Houthi attacks have disrupted Israel-linked navigation in the Red Sea and contributed to the closure of the Port of Eilat over the past two years, prompting Tel Aviv to search for strategic alternatives close to the theater of operations.
Israeli Concerns Over Yemen’s Growing Capabilities
For his part, Federico Donelli, senior researcher at the Institute for International Political Studies in Milan, considered that Israel’s pursuit of a direct presence on the African shore opposite Yemen reflects deeper shifts tied to strategic Israeli concerns about Yemen’s ability to target Israeli interests in the Red Sea.
Donelli stressed that this direction signals rising anxiety within Tel Aviv over the continuation of Yemeni maritime operations and their impact on trade routes and navigation lines.
Yemeni Warning: Any Israeli Presence in Somalia Is a “Legitimate Target”
Coinciding with these reports, the leader of the Ansar Allah movement vowed to target any Israeli presence in Somalia, describing it as a direct threat to Yemen and to international maritime security in the Red Sea, as well as an assault on a neighboring Arab country.
