TEL AVIV (SD) – Israel is interested in establishing a military base in northern Somalia to monitor the Houthi attacks in Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as reported by the Qatari government news website on Tuesday.

According to the report, in exchange, Israel will establish relations with Somaliland, which governs northern Somalia but is not currently recognized by Israel.

The Middle East Monitor highlighted Somaliland’s strategic geographical location. Formerly a British protectorate, it borders Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti. Somaliland is considered an autonomous region that declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

Somaliland is located in the Gulf of Aden and near the entrance to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which nearly one-third of the world’s maritime cargo passes.

Somaliland has a 740-kilometer coastline along the Gulf of Aden and can play a crucial role in securing the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea from piracy, terrorism, and smuggling, according to the Middle East Monitor.

Various international shipping companies have been reluctant to use commercial vessels through the Bab al-Mandab Strait due to Houthi attacks from Yemen, which have disrupted global trade and shipping movements.

Businesses are striving to find alternative routes for their vessels to deliver goods used in retail, adding approximately 10 days to their travel times when navigating around Africa.