In recent months, the competition between Israel and Egypt to enhance and solidify their presence in African nations has surged dramatically.<\/p>\n
Israeli media outlet Israel Hayom reported that Egypt’s intelligence agency has launched intensive operations across Africa to counter what it terms ‘Israeli influence expansion.’ These operations have particularly focused on Libya and its eastern regions.<\/p>\n
According to the report, a senior Egyptian intelligence official has been exerting pressure to prevent the strengthening of ties between Israeli security agencies and the sons of Khalifa Haftar, the commander of eastern Libyan forces, who hold significant security positions within their father’s military structure.Israel Hayom also revealed extensive ‘secret activities and trips’ led by a high-ranking Egyptian intelligence official to several African countries, aimed at curbing the deepening relations between eastern Libyan leaders and Israeli officials.<\/p>\n
This official, identified as responsible for Palestinian affairs within the Egyptian intelligence, is striving to halt Israeli activities in Africa that Cairo views as contrary to its strategic interests.<\/p>\n
The countries visited by this Egyptian official include Rwanda, Uganda, Libya, Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan. Among these, Somalia is emerging as a critical battleground for proxy confrontations between Cairo and Tel Aviv. Recent developments in the Horn of Africa, particularly since February 2026, highlight the escalating tensions between Egypt and Israel, particularly after Israel recognized the Somaliland rebels.Somaliland is strategically located, with a long coastline overlooking the Gulf of Aden and the southern entrance to the Red Sea. This region has faced numerous strategic challenges and significant threats to Israeli territories over the past two years, the most notable being the maritime trade blockade imposed by Yemen.<\/p>\n
The recognition of Somaliland by Israel on December 26, 2025, marked a pivotal moment, perceived by both Cairo and Mogadishu as a blatant violation of Somali sovereignty and an attempt by Israel to establish a strategic foothold in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n
In response to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, Egypt expedited the deployment of its forces in federal Somalia. Reports suggest that Egypt has begun positioning a significant military presence, estimated at around 10,000 troops, some as part of the African Union mission (AUSSOM) and others under a bilateral defense agreement.Additionally, on February 11, 2026, the Egyptian military showcased its power in Cairo in the presence of the Somali president, aiming to send a direct deterrent message to Israel and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
Cairo has officially categorized Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a ‘major security threat’ to Egypt’s access to the Red Sea and its national security. Alongside Egypt, two other key players\u2014Riyadh and Ankara\u2014have also entered the fray against Israel in Somalia. Saudi Arabia has signed a military and security agreement with Somalia in direct response to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s separatists.The report titled ‘Power Struggle in the Horn of Africa Intensifies: Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s Reaction to Israel’ emphasizes that Cairo, like Saudi Arabia, opposes Israel’s illegal actions and has redeployed its forces in response to Israeli movements in Somalia, with reports indicating the number of Egyptian troops reaching 10,000.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia has strongly opposed Israel’s actions regarding Somaliland, prompting many other Arab and Islamic countries to also reject the division of Somalia.<\/p>\n
Following Israel’s recognition of the Somaliland separatists, Turkey has labeled the move illegal and separatist, asserting its firm support for Somalia’s territorial integrity. This situation has exacerbated the proxy conflict between Ankara and Tel Aviv in the region.Turkey views Somalia as a cornerstone of its strategy to expand influence in Africa and has established its largest foreign military base in Mogadishu. The Israeli move is perceived as a direct threat to Turkey’s security and geopolitical interests.<\/p>\n
The prevailing assessment indicates a low likelihood of direct military conflict between Egypt and Israel; however, the risk of indirect or proxy conflict on Somali soil remains high. Egypt is actively working to strengthen its axis with Somalia and Eritrea to limit Israeli actions in the Horn of Africa.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the Somali president has warned against any attempts to establish an Israeli military base in Somaliland, such as at the port of Berbera. Egypt’s military presence in southern Somalia could serve as a counterbalance to any Israeli security activities in the north.Tensions may also manifest in maritime confrontations. Egypt has made clear its opposition to Israel’s overt interference in the region asserting that the responsibility for navigation security in the Red Sea lies solely with the bordering countries. Concurrently Yemen’s Ansar Allah has previously declared that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a ‘military target’ heightening regional tensions amidst the deployment of Egyptian forces.<\/p>\n
Egypt’s active participation in the Horn of Africa against Israeli actions aims to contain the ‘Israel-Ethiopia-Somaliland axis.’ While both sides seek to avoid direct escalation the transformation of the Horn of Africa into a battleground between Cairo and Tel Aviv raises the potential for significant security conflicts and heavy diplomatic pressure from Egypt against Israeli interests in the continent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As Israel intensifies its efforts to expand its influence in the Horn of Africa, tensions between Cairo and Tel Aviv have escalated. Experts suggest a rising likelihood of proxy warfare between the two nations in Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}