Sana (WDN)- A senior leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has issued a sharp warning over the reported presence of Israeli forces in Somalia’s territorial waters, declaring that any such deployment would be treated as a legitimate military target.

Mohammed al-Farah, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, said on Monday that any Israeli activity in Somali waters represents a serious regional escalation, stressing the strategic importance of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait as one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors.

“Any movement by the Zionist enemy in those waters will be seen as an attempt to control a vital shipping route and undermine the security of the entire region, including Saudi Arabia,” al-Farah said.

He further argued that an Israeli military presence in Somali maritime space poses a direct threat to Yemen’s national security. Al-Farah added that Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi has previously warned that any Israeli or U.S. military presence in Somaliland would be considered a direct threat and met with a firm response.

According to him, such deployments cross a “red line” and would be treated as legitimate military targets.

The Ansarullah official also emphasized that security in the Red Sea, in his view, should not depend on foreign military bases or external forces, but rather on regional states and coastal countries taking responsibility for safeguarding their own waters.

The warning comes against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical sensitivity in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea corridor, following reports in December 2025 that Israel had recognized Somaliland.

The Federal Government of Somalia strongly rejected the move, describing it as illegal and reiterating that Somaliland remains an integral part of Somalia’s sovereign territory.

Several other countries and international organizations also dismissed the recognition, warning that it could further destabilize an already fragile regional security environment.

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