Somaliland: Israel’s Counter to Iran

By Mihailo S. Zekic • December 29, 2025

Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent country on Friday, becoming the first country to do so. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited the president of Somaliland to visit Israel and offered cooperation between the two countries.

By working with this nation sitting on the Gulf of Aden across from Yemen, Israel could gain leverage to counter Iran’s presence in the southern Red Sea. Writing in the Times of Israel, analyst Bepi Pezzulli called Israel’s move a “masterclass in strategy.”

Somaliland’s government, which is secular despite the population being predominantly Muslim, has been separate from Somalia since 1991, successfully controlling most of its territory and maintaining a functioning democracy. Still, before now no nation had officially recognized its legitimacy.

Yemen sits near the southern passage to the Red Sea. There, through its proxy Houthi terrorist group, Iran has been able to threaten Israel and world shipping in general. The Houthis have attacked Western cargo vessels and have even directly attacked Israel with ballistic missiles.

Evidence suggests that Iran also has influence over the African nation of Eritrea, located further north on the Red Sea coast.
Djibouti, located between Somaliland and Eritrea, is home to military bases from the U.S., China, France, Japan, Italy and Spain, highlighting the global strategic importance of this passage.

Daniel 11:40-43 describe a “king of the south” power bloc that seeks influence over the Red Sea area. Since the 1990s, Gerald Flurry has identified the king of the south as radical Islam led by Iran—its main goal is to conquer Jerusalem. For the past several years, Iran has used its control over the Red Sea to harm Israel severely. Mr. Flurry wrote in the Trumpet’s May-June 2024 issue that the Red Sea “has become the battleground of an intensifying war!”

The Israelis’ recognition of Somaliland is evidence of this. To understand how this war will intensify, read Mr. Flurry’s article “Is the Red Sea Crisis About to Fulfill Bible Prophecy?”