DOHA, January 16. /TASS/. Yemen’s rebel Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement continues to monitor Israel’s activities in Somaliland and remains ready to strike any Israeli facility there, the Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned.

"We continue to monitor Israeli activities in Somaliland and are working to intensify our monitoring. We stand ready to strike any Israeli presence or cluster in Somaliland, be it a military base or any other target within our reach," Houthi-controlled TV channel Al Masirah quoted him as saying.

In his words, the events in Somaliland are of great importance for the Houthi movement, because they present a threat for Yemen. The rebels are convinced that Israel has been trying to gain a foothold in Somaliland to control the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

On December 26, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his country’s recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, becoming the first UN member country to do so. Somaliland, located in the northwestern part of Somalia on the Red Sea coast, unilaterally declared independence in 1991 but has yet to receive international recognition. Reacting to the news, al-Houthi said the Yemeni rebels will view any Israeli presence in the area as a military target.

Following the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in 2023, the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah (the Houthis) warned Israel that it would shell its territory while barring ships associated with the Jewish state from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until Tel Aviv ceased its military operation against Palestinian radical group Hamas in the embattled enclave. Since mid-November 2023, dozens of civilian ships have been attacked by the Houthi in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

After a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni rebels suspended strikes on Israel but following the breakdown of the ceasefire, the Houthis resumed attacks on ships associated with Israel and on targets in Israel’s territory.