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A senior Somali official told Middle East Eye that Israel deployed around 50 soldiers to Somaliland after recognising the breakaway state, with Israel's Foreign Ministry dismissing the report as "fake news."

This comes as the US partially lifted sanctions on Iranian oil following “encouraging” talks in Switzerland, and Russia tightens its grip on Kostyantynivka as frontline monitors warn the city's fall is a matter of time.

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Major Story

🇮🇱🇸🇴 Israel deployed troops to Somaliland after recognition, source says

The Middle East Eye reported that Israel deployed around 50 soldiers to Somaliland shortly after recognising the breakaway state in December, according to a senior Somali government official, who said the troops were selected for their African heritage to avoid drawing attention.

The Israeli military declined to comment, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as "fake news" after it was recirculated in Israeli media.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz separately confirmed that Israel and Somaliland had been "cooperating under the radar in a series of operations" for years, saying the two sides were determined to bring their security cooperation "to new heights."

Somaliland's Defence Minister acknowledged that Israel is "helping" the territory by training police and military, while denying the existence of any Israeli base.

CNN reported earlier this month that Somaliland had provided Israel with an additional military site potentially allowing Israeli aircraft to stop there during long-range flights to Iran.

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