IDF has secretly deployed dozens of soldiers to the breakaway republic of Somaliland, according to report, despite official denials of any IDF presence.By World Israel News StaffIsrael deployed about 50 soldiers to Somaliland after formally recognizing the breakaway Horn of Africa region as an independent state, a senior Somali official told Middle East Eye, an allegation denied by Israel’s Foreign Ministry as security ties between the two sides draw growing regional scrutiny.The official said the Israeli personnel were sent to Somaliland following Israel’s recognition of the territory in December and after the resumption of the war with Iran in late February.The official claimed the soldiers were part of bilateral security arrangements and had been chosen in part because they could avoid attracting attention locally.“According to our intelligence reports, the Israeli military selected Israeli soldiers of African heritage, especially Ethiopians, so as not to draw attention to themselves and to blend in more easily with the local community,” the official said.The Israeli military declined to comment directly on the allegation, telling Middle East Eye: “After checking with the relevant authorities, it is a matter for the political echelon.”Israel’s Foreign Ministry later dismissed the report in a brief post on X, writing: “FAKE NEWS.”Somaliland authorities did not respond to requests for comment, according to the report.The allegation comes amid a rapid expansion of open ties between Israel and Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but had not been recognized by any United Nations member state until Israel’s decision last December. Somalia considers Somaliland part of its sovereign territory and has condemned Israel’s recognition as a violation of its territorial integrity.Israel has moved to formalize the relationship, appointing Michael Lotem as its first ambassador to Hargeisa. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also visited Somaliland earlier this year and said Israel would not allow other states to dictate its diplomatic recognition decisions.“Nobody will determine for Israel who we recognize and who we maintain diplomatic relations with,” Sa’ar said during the visit, according to a transcript shared with The Associated Press.Somaliland officials have welcomed the relationship, framing Israel as a strategic and economic partner. Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi visited Israel last week with a large delegation and appealed for investment in agriculture, water management, renewable energy, healthcare and cybersecurity.“Somaliland is open for business, and Somaliland is ready for Israeli investment,” Abdullahi said at a Tel Aviv business forum, calling Israel a “valued and reliable friend.”The most sensitive part of the relationship, however, has been security cooperation. Somaliland Defense Minister Mohamed Yusuf Ali told Reuters last week that Israel was training Somaliland police and military forces, but denied that Israel had established a base in the territory.“There is no Israeli military presence or military bases in Somaliland,” Yusuf Ali said. “But Israel is helping Somaliland … they are supporting to train some of our police and military.”Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has publicly acknowledged covert cooperation with Somaliland. After meeting Abdullahi, Katz said the two sides had worked together secretly for years.“For many years we cooperated under the radar in a series of operations that will remain secret,” Katz said.CNN reported that Somaliland has granted Israel access to an additional military facility that could serve as a logistical stop for aircraft flying long-range routes. Earlier reporting also alleged Israel had used or sought access to facilities in Somaliland as part of a wider network of regional positions during its war with Iran.Somalia has warned that any foreign military arrangement in Somaliland would be illegitimate without Mogadishu’s approval. Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera in March that Somalia “does not want to see its territory pulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilize an already sensitive region.”He said Somalia’s federal government is “the only authority empowered to enter into international security or military arrangements on behalf of the country.”The strategic interest in Somaliland is tied largely to geography. Somaliland’s coastline sits along the Gulf of Aden, near the Bab al-Mandab strait and across from Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthi movement has launched missiles and drones at Israel and attacked shipping in the Red Sea region.Analysts have said a security foothold in Somaliland could give Israel a closer platform for monitoring or responding to threats from Yemen and the Red Sea corridor. But such a presence would also risk deepening tensions with Somalia and other regional governments that rejected Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.The post Israel stationing troops in Somaliland – report appeared first on World Israel News.