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Somalia Says It Will Never Accept Ethiopian Naval Base in Somaliland

The port of Berbera in Somaliland offers Ethiopia access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal further north. (AFP)
The port of Berbera in Somaliland offers Ethiopia access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal further north. (AFP)
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Somalia Says It Will Never Accept Ethiopian Naval Base in Somaliland

The port of Berbera in Somaliland offers Ethiopia access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal further north. (AFP)
The port of Berbera in Somaliland offers Ethiopia access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal further north. (AFP)

Somalia will never accept Ethiopia's plan to build a naval base in its breakaway region of Somaliland, but it would consider granting Ethiopia commercial port access if discussed bilaterally, Somalia's state minister for foreign affairs said on Friday.

Landlocked Ethiopia sparked a diplomatic row with Mogadishu in January by signing a deal with Somaliland to lease 20 km (12 miles) of its coastline in return for recognizing the region as an independent state.

Somalia called the deal illegal as it considers Somaliland as part of its territory even though it has had effective autonomy since 1991.

"Somalia will never accept (a) naval base ... Somalia is ready for commercial access in accordance with the international law of the sea," Somalia's state minister for foreign affairs Ali Omar told Reuters.

He added that Somalia was willing to discuss proposals so long as they meet the country's interests which are to "safeguard (our) sovereignty, political independence and unity".

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Netanyahu Says he Ordered Military to Prepare for Intense War in Lebanon if Ceasefire Violated

(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
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Netanyahu Says he Ordered Military to Prepare for Intense War in Lebanon if Ceasefire Violated

(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday during an interview with Israeli Channel 14 that he had ordered the military to be prepared for an intense war in Lebanon if the ceasefire's framework is violated.

The ceasefire was brokered by the United States and France to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fought in parallel with the Gaza war. The truce lasts for 60 days in the hope of reaching a permanent cessation of hostilities.

The ceasefire deal stipulates that unauthorized military facilities south of the Litani River should be dismantled, but does not mention military facilities north of the river.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 3,961 people and injured 16,520 others since October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday.

Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

Under the ceasefire terms, Israeli forces can take up to 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon but neither side can launch offensive operations.

Netanyahu also said that conditions for reaching a possible deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip have considerably improved.
Asked about a possible hostage deal in the interview, Netanyahu said: "I think the conditions have very much changed for the better."
He did not give specific details.