In recent months, the competition between Israel and Egypt to enhance their influence in African nations has surged significantly. According to Israel Hayom, Egypt’s intelligence agency has initiated vigorous activities across the African continent to counter what it deems the ‘expansion of Israeli influence,’ particularly focusing on Libya and its eastern regions.<\/p>\n
A senior Egyptian intelligence official has reportedly been exerting pressure to prevent the strengthening of ties between Israeli security agencies and the sons of Khalifa Haftar, the commander of Eastern Libya’s forces, who hold significant security positions in the military structure linked to their father.Israel Hayom also revealed extensive ‘secret activities and trips’ led by a high-ranking Egyptian intelligence official to several African nations, aimed at curbing the deepening relationships between Eastern Libyan leaders and Israeli officials. This official, responsible for the Palestinian file in Egypt’s intelligence, is actively working to halt Israeli operations in Africa, which Cairo views as contrary to its strategic interests.<\/p>\n
The travels of this Egyptian official have included countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Libya, Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan. Notably, Somalia is emerging as a critical battleground for proxy conflict between Cairo and Tel Aviv. Recent developments in the Horn of Africa, particularly since February 2026, indicate a marked increase in tensions between Egypt and Israel, especially following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s rebels.Somaliland occupies one of the most strategically significant locations in the world, with a long coastline overlooking the Gulf of Aden and the southern entrance to the Red Sea. This region has posed numerous strategic challenges and extensive threats to the occupied territories over the past two years, the most evident being the maritime trade blockade imposed by Yemen. The following evaluations highlight the potential for conflict and escalating tensions between Cairo and Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland on December 26, 2025, marked a critical turning point, seen in Cairo and Mogadishu as a blatant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and an attempt by Israel to secure a strategic foothold in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.In response to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, Egypt accelerated the deployment of its forces in Federal Somalia. An estimated 10,000 Egyptian troops are being stationed, some as part of the African Union mission (AUSSOM) and others under a bilateral defense agreement. On February 11, 2026, the Egyptian military showcased its strength in Cairo in the presence of Somalia’s president, sending a direct deterrent message to Israel and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
Egypt has classified Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a ‘major security threat’ to its access to the Red Sea and national security.In addition to Egypt, two other key players have entered the fray against Israel in Somalia: Riyadh and Ankara. Saudi Arabia has signed a military and security agreement with Somalia in direct response to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s separatists. This report, titled ‘Power Struggle in the Horn of Africa Ignites; Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s Response to Israel,’ highlights that Cairo, like Riyadh, opposes this illegal Israeli action and has redeployed its forces in response to Israeli activities in Somalia, with reports indicating the number of Egyptian troops has reached 10,000.Saudi Arabia strongly opposes Israel’s actions regarding Somaliland, and many other Arab and Islamic countries are also against the division of Somalia. Alongside Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Turkey has condemned the recognition of Somaliland’s separatists as illegal and separatist, emphasizing its firm support for Somalia’s territorial integrity. This stance has intensified the proxy war between Ankara and Tel Aviv in the region, as Turkey views Somalia as a cornerstone of its influence expansion policy in Africa, having established its largest foreign military base in Mogadishu.The prevailing assessment is that the likelihood of direct military conflict between Egypt and Israel is low; however, the risk of indirect conflict or proxy warfare in Somalia is high. Egypt aims to strengthen its alliance with Somalia and Eritrea to limit Israeli actions in the Horn of Africa. Conversely, Somalia’s 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 balancing force against any Israeli security activities in the north.Tensions may also manifest in maritime friction. Egypt has made it clear that it opposes Israel’s overt involvement in the region asserting that the responsibility for navigation security in the Red Sea lies solely with neighboring countries. Concurrently Yemen’s Ansar Allah has previously stated that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a ‘military target’ adding to the already volatile conditions in the region amid the simultaneous presence of Egyptian forces.<\/p>\n
Egypt’s active participation in the Horn of Africa against Israeli actions aims to counter the ‘Israel-Ethiopia-Somaliland axis.’ While both sides avoid direct escalation the transformation of the Horn of Africa into a battleground between Cairo and Tel Aviv raises the potential for security conflicts and significant diplomatic pressure from Egypt against Israeli interests on the continent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As Israel intensifies its efforts to establish a foothold in the Horn of Africa, tensions between Cairo and Tel Aviv are escalating. Experts predict a potential proxy war could erupt between the two nations in this strategically vital region.<\/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-21597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21597","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=21597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21597\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}