Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – A military shipment from Israel was sent to Somalia under the name of a United Nations office, Lebanon-based broadcaster Al Mayadeen reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed senior regional strategic sources.
Somalia Today could not independently verify the claim.
Somalia Today contacted Somali authorities for comment, but had received no response by publication time.
Al Mayadeen said the 1,000-kilogramme consignment left Tel Aviv for Mogadishu via Nairobi, arriving on June 21.
The report said the cargo contained an advanced communications system intended for military and intelligence use.
It said the equipment was supplied by Mer Security and Communications, a company based in Or Yehuda, Israel, and was received by a United Nations office in Mogadishu.
There was no immediate public comment from Israel or the United Nations. Al Mayadeen did not identify the UN office that it said received the shipment.
The report comes at a sensitive moment for Somalia, as Israel’s growing ties with Somaliland continue to stir anger in Mogadishu and unease across the wider Red Sea region.
Red Sea alarm
Ansar Allah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned on June 25 that his movement was monitoring what he described as Israeli efforts to gain a foothold in Somalia and around the Gulf of Aden.
“We are monitoring with great concern the developments on the ground in Somalia and what the Israeli enemy is doing to take control of the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab,” he said.
“We will take the initiative at any time to target any Israeli activity on Somali soil,” he added.
Al-Houthi also urged countries bordering the Red Sea to adopt a unified position against Israeli activity in the region, saying such activity would threaten Somalia’s sovereignty and the security of the wider region.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait, which lies between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
Any escalation involving Somalia would add pressure to a shipping corridor already shaken by Houthi attacks since the Gaza war began in 2023.
The Houthis have repeatedly said their attacks target vessels linked to Israel or ships heading to Israeli ports, describing the campaign as support for Palestinians in Gaza.
Western governments and shipping firms say the attacks have disrupted global trade, forced vessels to reroute around southern Africa and raised insurance and transport costs.
Somaliland connection
The Al Mayadeen report also follows Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, a move Mogadishu rejected as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has governed itself for more than 3 decades, but most of the international community still considers it part of Somalia.
Israel’s recognition opened the door to a rapid expansion of ties.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, visited Israel in June and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.
“I am here as the president of Somaliland for the first state visit ever,” Abdullahi told Netanyahu during the visit. “For 35 years, we have been asking the world to see us. And Israel and you yourself were the first to see us and recognise us.”
Netanyahu defended the decision, saying Israel had “a natural sympathy” for Somaliland because Jews also remembered seeking recognition from the world.
Somaliland officials have denied that Israel has established a military base in the territory, but they have acknowledged security cooperation.
“There is no Israeli military presence or military bases in Somaliland,” Somaliland Defence Minister Mohamed Yusuf Ali told Reuters in June. “But Israel is helping Somaliland … they are supporting to train some of our police and military.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also said after meeting Abdullahi that Israel wanted to deepen security, economic and diplomatic ties with Somaliland.
“For many years, we cooperated under the radar in a series of operations that will remain secret,” Katz said.
Those remarks have sharpened concern in Mogadishu and among regional actors who fear Somalia could be pulled deeper into Red Sea rivalries involving Israel, Yemen, Iran-aligned groups and Gulf states.
UN sensitivity
The alleged use of a UN office name would make the report especially sensitive if confirmed.
The current UN political mission in Somalia, the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia, began work in November 2024, replacing UNSOM as part of a planned transition towards greater Somali national ownership.
The United Nations also maintains logistical and humanitarian operations in Somalia, where international support remains central to security, state-building and relief work.
But Somali politics is deeply sensitive to any suggestion that foreign military or intelligence actors may operate through international channels without public approval.
For Mogadishu, the reported shipment touches two explosive questions at once: the integrity of UN-linked operations inside Somalia and Israel’s expanding role around the Red Sea after its recognition of Somaliland.
Al Mayadeen’s report remains unverified by Somalia Today.
But the claim is likely to intensify scrutiny of cargo movements, foreign security partnerships and the growing strategic competition around Somalia’s coastline.
