Somaliland has announced plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem, marking a further step in its emerging diplomatic engagement with Israel, its ambassador Mohamed Hagi said. The move comes after Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared republic.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the planned opening in Jerusalem would be “another significant step” in strengthening ties.
Once established, it would become the eighth embassy in the city.
Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, has functioned with de facto autonomy since 1991, when Somalia plunged into civil war. Despite maintaining its own government, currency, and security structures, it has not been internationally recognised by most countries.
Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state in December 2025. Somalia strongly rejected the move, describing it as a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, has long campaigned for international recognition. It hopes Israel’s decision will encourage other countries to follow and expand its access to international markets.
Most countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv, with only a small number maintaining missions in Jerusalem. The United States relocated its embassy there during the Trump administration, and a limited number of states, including Fiji and Papua New Guinea, have followed.
Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, although this is not widely recognised internationally. The United Nations and most countries consider East Jerusalem to be occupied territory. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state encompassing the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel is among a very small number of countries to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state, while Somaliland itself is one of the few Muslim-majority entities to signal plans for an embassy in Jerusalem.
For Somaliland, the move represents both symbolism and strategy. For Israel, it adds another partner in a region where diplomatic ties remain limited.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplo...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with th...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing the UN General Assembly as world leaders gather in New York for the 81st session. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set to dominate the event.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says Yerevan wants to deepen ties with Moscow while strengthening its partnership with the European Union as part of a balanced foreign policy.
For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the Gulf’s main gateways to the world. Now, months of disruption are pushing regional governments to invest in alternative routes and move more cargo around the strategic waterway.
Germany will keep its Patriot air-defence system deployed in eastern Türkiye until April 2027 as NATO bolsters its defences against regional missile threats.
11 of 19 Kazakh servicemen swept into the Caspian Sea during military exercises in the Mangystau region have died, Kazakhstan’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. officials drafted a statement for Secretary of State Marco Rubio in early September condemning UK, French and Canadian plans to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but it was never released.
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