DUBAI (Dispatches) – The UAE has reportedly deployed an advanced Israeli-made radar system in the Puntland region of north-eastern Somalia, intensifying concerns over Abu Dhabi’s growing military footprint in the Horn of Africa.
Open-source intelligence and aerial imagery confirm that the ELM-2084 3D AESA multi-mission radar — manufactured by Israeli defense firm ELTA, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries — has been installed near Bosaso Airport, adjacent to the UAE-run Bosaso Air Base.
The radar, integral to the Zionist regime’s Iron Dome system, is capable of detecting missiles, drones and artillery threats. Sources say that the UAE is using the system to monitor Yemeni ballistic missile and drone launches toward Israeli targets and shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Bulgarian Military notes that this development is part of a broader UAE-Israel security arrangement, particularly since the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Abu Dhabi has also pledged to establish a military base for Israel in Somaliland by mid-2024, reportedly offering support for international recognition of the breakaway state in exchange for allowing the Zionist regime’s deployment near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
The radar’s placement in Puntland — rather than federal Somali territory — highlights ongoing tensions between the semi-autonomous region and the central government in Mogadishu. The UAE’s direct military dealings with Puntland’s leadership have fuelled speculation that it may be supporting the region’s push for greater autonomy.
Observers warn that this move echoes Cold War-era tactics, where foreign powers backed local factions to secure access to strategic waterways. The Gulf of Aden and Red Sea have become flashpoints amid the Zionist regime’s ongoing war on Gaza and retaliatory solidarity attacks by Yemen’s Ansarullah armed forces.
Yemen’s Health Ministry said on Monday 370 civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed and wounded in strikes launched by the United States on the impoverished country in support of Israel.
The ministry said the U.S. strikes on civilian facilities in Yemen have killed 123 people and injured 247 others since March 16.
The ministry condemned the “blatant U.S. aggression against the homeland and its targeting of civilian objects and civilians through direct bombardment”, including the attacks on a factory in the capital Sana’a on Sunday night.
Noting that six people were killed and 30 others wounded, including five children, in the attack, the ministry described it as “a full-fledged war crime” and “a flagrant violation of all international laws and conventions”.
It urged Arab and Islamic nations as well as human rights organizations to take to the streets to decry the U.S. crimes against the Yemeni people.