Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said Israel and Somaliland have been cooperating “under the radar” for “many years,” during a meeting with Somaliland’s visiting President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.

“For many years, we cooperated under the radar in a series of operations that will remain classified. Now we are determined to bring our security cooperation to new heights, for the benefit of both peoples and for the benefit of stability in the region,” he said, according to remarks published by his office.

Located in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland enjoys a strategic position across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where the Houthi rebels hold territory, making it strategically valuable for Israel.

Abdullahi is making his first state visit abroad since becoming president. In December, Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991.

From the Israeli side, the meeting was also attended by the head of the IDF’s Planning Directorate, Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, senior Defense Ministry officials, and Israel’s designated Ambassador to Somaliland Michael Lotem.

On the Somaliland side, the country’s Defense........

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