The government of Somalia on Thursday announced Israeli ships are no longer allowed to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital passage that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

The ban was first announced by Iranian state media, quoting a statement by Abdullah Warfa, Somalia’s ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union (AU). According to Wafra, the action was taken in response to Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland.

Somaliland is one of three semi-autonomous regions of Somalia, and the one most aggressively interested in breaking away from the weak central government in Mogadishu. Somalilanders argue they are already self-governed in most respects and their region has few meaningful ethnic or cultural ties with the rest of Somalia. They also boast that their administration is more stable, less corrupt, and more productive to deal with than the one in Mogadishu.

Israel became the first nation to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025. Last week, Israel appointed its first ambassador to Somaliland in the person of Michael Lotem, formerly Israel’s ambassador to Kenya.

Lotem’s appointment was greeted with roars of applause by Somaliland’s parliament and with equal disapproval by the foreign ministry of Somalia, which denounced the ambassadorship as a “direct breach” of Somalia’s sovereignty.

Some critics of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland also accuse the Israelis of planning to relocate the Palestinian population of Gaza to northern Somalia. The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) condemned Israel on that basis in December 2025. The lone UNSC member who did not vote in favor of the resolution was the United States.

In March, Israel reportedly began exploring a security partnership with Somaliland that would include developing a presence at the major port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden. Among its other appealing features, Berbera could put Israeli forces within striking range of the Houthis, the Iran-backed Yemeni terrorist insurgents who have attacked Israel with missiles and threatened international shipping through the Red Sea.

“In terms of security, we will have a strategic relationship and that encompasses a lot of things. We haven’t discussed with them if it becomes a military base, but definitely there will be an analysis at some point,” Somaliland leader Khadar Hussein Abdi said of his dealings with Israel in March.

A significant Israeli military presence at Berbera would also make it more difficult for either the Houthis or Somalia to blockade the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, so Somalia appears to have pulled the trigger on doing so, at least with respect to Israeli ships.

“Any country interfering in Somalia’s internal affairs and compromising its territorial integrity and sovereignty will face repercussions, including potential restrictions on access to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait,” Ambassador Warfa threatened last week, presaging Thursday’s reported action.

Mariners from other nations have reason to be nervous about the development, as the Houthi and Iranian experiences has shown pirates in the region do not always vet their targets carefully, and they can have very loose definitions of what constitutes an “Israeli ship.”

It was not immediately clear what actions Somalia was prepared to take to enforce its blockade. International law experts pointed out that Somalia has no legal or sovereign right to restrict passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, so any action against an Israeli vessel could be taken as an act of war. Somali does not have a significant navy or air force, or a large stockpile of weapons that could threaten cargo ships and oil tankers. The Somalis could, however, coordinate with the Houthis in Yemen to create real jeopardy for civilian traffic in the strait.