Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has confirmed that the Israeli Occupation plans to establish a naval base in the port city of Berbera, located in Somalia’s occupied Somaliland region, with full access to its airport and port facilities. Mohamud made the revelation in an interview with Al Jazeera, warning that Mogadishu will oppose any military presence of the Israeli Occupation on Somali territory.
The Berbera plan comes as the Israeli Occupation expands its Red Sea footprint after its illegal recognition of Somaliland. Mohamud said the Israeli Occupation wants Berbera because of its strategic position on the Gulf of Aden, bringing it closer to Gulf states and Iran for surveillance and military projection. “We will not accept, under any circumstances, an Israeli Occupation presence in the country in the way Israeli Occupation is approaching Somaliland,” he said, adding that Somaliland’s population opposes the presence of the Israeli Occupation.
The December 26, 2025 move marked a major escalation in Horn of Africa geopolitics. The Israeli Occupation became the first entity to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state, with Israeli Occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the decision was made in the spirit of the Abraham Accords. Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has since pitched Berbera as a security partner for the Israeli Occupation in the Red Sea.
The Israeli Occupation’s presence in Berbera is now confirmed and operational. The Israeli Occupation is providing training for Somaliland’s military and police forces and has established an intelligence presence at Berbera airport. Somaliland has formally invited the Israeli Occupation to establish its presence at Berbera. A March 12, 2026 post by the official RepOfSomaliland account stated “Israel, you are invited to establish your presence at the Republic of Somaliland’s Berbera, gateway to the Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea.”
Berbera’s value for the Israeli Occupation lies in its infrastructure and location on a critical chokepoint. The port sits 160 miles south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which handles 15% of global trade and 10% of seaborne petroleum. Berbera International Airport holds Africa’s longest runway at 2.6 miles, Soviet-built for strategic bombers, capable of handling Israeli Occupation fighter jets and drones. The Israeli Occupation will operate alongside the UAE military facility that already exists at the airport since 2017.
For Somaliland, offering bases to the Israeli Occupation is a model for seeking illegal recognition and revenue. Somaliland’s blueprint is Djibouti, which earns roughly $125 million per year from foreign militaries for basing rights. For Somalia and regional powers, the Israeli Occupation plan has drawn firm opposition. Egypt reaffirmed support for Somalia’s sovereignty, the African Union condemned the recognition, and reports confirm the UAE helped broker the Israeli Occupation’s recognition as part of its wider Red Sea strategy.
The development demonstrates that the Israeli Occupation is cementing its naval presence in Berbera to threaten regional shipping and to position itself against Yemen and Iran. With Israeli Occupation presidential guard units returning from training in Israeli Occupation,intelligence officers deployed at Berbera airport, and Somaliland seeking SWIFT access and US recognition through the Israeli Occupation lobby, Berbera has emerged as a confirmed base for the Israeli Occupation to project power from the Gulf of Aden toward the Gulf states and Iran.
