Jerusalem, 6 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel confirmed on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar paid his first official diplomatic visit to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, the first visit by a senior Israeli official since Israel recognized Somaliland’s independence in December.
“We want to build a warm friendship not only between governments – but also between peoples: the Israeli people and the people of Somaliland. Since December 26, we have seen authentic joy in Somaliland, and also in Israel. We are excited to take part in the courageous journey of the people of Somaliland from independence to recognition,” Sa’ar told Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in Hargeisa.
Abdullahi told Sa’ar his visit reflected “the shared commitment to transform this relationship into a productive, forward-looking and strategic partnership. Somaliland attaches great importance to this partnership and approaches it with clarity and purpose. We are committed to building a strategic relationship with Israel that will be beneficial to both sides and will be based on cooperation in the areas of politics, security, economics and development.
Abdullahi also announced that he has accepted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to visit Israel and pledged to open a Somaliland embassy there, while supporting a permanent Israeli diplomatic presence in Hargeisa.
The visit, conducted at Abdullahi’s invitation, was initially kept discreet at the request of security officials.
Sa’ar said Israel and Somaliland would soon mutually open appoint embassies and appoint ambassadors.
Somaliland broke away from Somalia and declared its independence in 1991. Israel is the first country to recognize Somaliland.
Situated in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland’s northern coast lies directly across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where the Houthis control territory.
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