Israel sent military communications equipment to Somalia under UN designation, sources claim

Cargo ships are docked at the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, January 8, 2026 - AP Photo

BEIRUT, July 2 – A shipment allegedly containing military-grade communications equipment from Israel was delivered to Somalia under the designation of a United Nations office, according to senior regional strategic sources cited by Al Mayadeen.

The sources said the 1,000-kilogram shipment departed Tel Aviv, transited through Nairobi, and arrived in Mogadishu on June 21. They claimed it was registered as cargo destined for a UN office in the Somali capital.

According to the sources, the shipment contained an advanced communications system intended for military and intelligence purposes. They alleged it was supplied by Mer Security and Communications, an Israel-based company headquartered in Or Yehuda.

The sources further claimed the cargo was received by a United Nations office in Mogadishu.

Neither the United Nations, Somali authorities, Israeli officials, nor the company named in the report has publicly commented on the allegations, which AFP has not independently verified.

Separately, the leader of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned on June 25 that the group would act against what he described as Israeli activities in Somalia.

In a televised address, al-Houthi accused Israel of seeking to establish a presence in Somalia to gain influence over the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime corridor linking the Red Sea and 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.

Al-Houthi also called on Red Sea states to adopt a unified position against Israeli activity in the region, warning that Ansar Allah would "take the initiative at any time to target any Israeli activity on Somali soil."

The allegations and threats come amid heightened regional tensions linked to the conflict in Gaza and growing competition for influence along key maritime routes in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

GAROWE ONLINE