UAE Deploys Israeli Military Radar in Somalia to Protect Tel Aviv

Sources have revealed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has secretly deployed an Israeli military radar system in Somalia as part of a covert operation to monitor missile threats from Yemen toward Tel Aviv, while simultaneously advancing broader political and military objectives.

According to information from the regional operations files under UAE National Security Adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed, the UAE has completed the installation of an Israeli ELM-2084 radar system — a key component of the Iron Dome defense network — at Bosaso Airport in Puntland, northeastern Somalia.

This system is capable of detecting ballistic missiles, drone activity, and heavy artillery fire.

The choice of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region, allowed Abu Dhabi to bypass Somalia’s central government by striking deals with local authorities, facilitated by notorious security figure Mohammed Dahlan.

This maneuver reflects the UAE’s ongoing efforts to fragment Somali sovereignty under the guise of “security partnerships.”

Sources confirm the radar’s primary mission is not to protect the UAE or the Gulf states, but rather to monitor and defend Israeli interests in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden against Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthi) missile strikes — effectively making the UAE a military proxy for Israeli security operations in Africa.

Further negotiations are reportedly underway to establish an Israeli military base in Somaliland, in exchange for UAE-mediated international recognition of the self-declared state, which remains unrecognized globally.

The UAE thus acts not merely as a financier but also as a diplomatic broker expanding Israeli influence across the Horn of Africa.

Strategically, Somaliland is seen as pivotal in Washington’s and Tel Aviv’s broader regional plans, including the controversial proposals linked to the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Rather than entering Africa through promises of aid, development, or trade — as in previous decades — the UAE is now driving direct military penetration under the pretext of “protecting maritime security.”

Earlier reports by Israeli media highlighted UAE funding for the regional expansion of Israeli military infrastructure, particularly through building new bases.

Haaretz recently described Somaliland as a “key to Israel’s fight against Houthi terrorism,” confirming Tel Aviv’s intent — backed by Abu Dhabi — to establish a forward operating base targeting Houthi forces and monitoring Red Sea shipping routes, a strategic move that poses serious threats to Egypt’s Suez Canal and regional security.

Israeli and Western sources further reported that Israel’s war cabinet, embroiled in its genocidal assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has been studying plans to fortify its southern strategic flank via Somaliland.

In a report by Arab news site Arabi21, the proposed Israeli base would come in exchange for Tel Aviv’s formal recognition of Hargeisa (Somaliland’s capital), with the UAE heavily involved as financier and intermediary.

The geostrategic dimensions are profound: Somaliland lies along the Gulf of Aden, near the Bab al-Mandab strait — a choke point for 12% of global trade worth nearly €790 billion annually.

A new Israeli military presence there, supplemented by UAE and Ethiopian ambitions for regional bases, could dangerously escalate tensions and destabilize one of the world’s most vital maritime corridors.

Israeli analysts, like Nadav Feldman writing in Haaretz, described the urgent need for bases closer to Houthi-controlled Yemen after a devastating Houthi drone attack reached Tel Aviv last year, bypassing Israel’s advanced air defenses.

Feldman argued that Somaliland, isolated and desperate for international recognition, offers an ideal site for Israel’s expansionist needs.

Similarly, Middle East Monitor was among the first to warn of Israeli moves in Somaliland, citing secret negotiations led by the UAE and plans for military buildup targeting Iran-aligned groups like the Houthis.

Moreover, Emirati-Israeli cooperation extends beyond Somaliland. Reports indicate that Abu Dhabi has agreed to finance a joint Israeli-Emirati military intelligence facility on Yemen’s Socotra Island, another key Red Sea outpost seized by the UAE in 2018.

Somaliland’s importance — with a 460-mile coastline along the Gulf of Aden — cannot be overstated.

Major powers, including the U.S. and China, view the region as a future battlefield for control of global shipping lanes, further entangling local conflicts into dangerous international rivalries.

In summary, the UAE’s deployment of Israeli military systems in Somalia marks a new phase of regional militarization, with Abu Dhabi facilitating Israeli strategic expansion into Africa — at the expense of fragile national sovereignties, regional stability, and the Palestinian cause.

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