ANKARA (Dispatches) -- Turkey is constructing an advanced space base in Somalia that could be used to launch satellites and ballistic missiles over vast swathes of Africa and West Asia, a development that has sparked deep concern within Israel’s military establishment.
The base, located in Warsheikh approximately 70 kilometers north of Mogadishu with a view of the Indian Ocean, is being built to serve Turkey’s national space program and launch satellites for other nations at a fee. Satellite images show construction is already underway, including a helicopter landing pad, military barracks, and an underground warehouse.
However, according to a report published by Le Monde, the facility will also be capable of deploying ballistic missiles with ranges sufficient to strike targets across much of Africa and West Asia. The Middle East Forum, a pro-Israel think tank, has assessed that the base is designed to accommodate missile systems with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers.
While such a range would not be sufficient to directly target Israeli occupied territories, the base may allow Turkey to challenge Israel’s growing presence in the breakaway region of Somaliland. 
Israel became the first UN member to recognize Somaliland’s illegal secession in December, and Tel Aviv reportedly plans to build a military base there. Israel has also discussed expelling millions of Palestinians from Gaza to Somaliland as the final stage of its ongoing genocide, which began in 2023.
Israel seeks to expand its presence in the strategic Horn of Africa to challenge Yemen’s primacy at the Bab el-Mandab Strait and across the Red Sea. Turkey’s new base in Somalia represents a direct counter to these ambitions.
Turkey says Somalia was chosen due to its proximity to the equator, which reduces fuel consumption and increases the payload capacity of spacecraft launched into orbit. Its Indian Ocean coastline also allows launch debris to fall safely into the water. The first phase of the base is expected to be completed by summer 2027 at a total cost of $350 million.
Turkey already maintains a significant military presence in Somalia. TURKSOM, Ankara’s largest overseas military base, is located in Mogadishu, and Turkey has provided Somalia with F-16 fighter jets, tanks, armored vehicles, and air defense systems. Turkish F-16s carried out airstrikes against Al-Shabab targets in Somalia in April, killing nearly 35 militants.
In February, former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett described President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “a sophisticated and dangerous adversary who wants to surround Israel,” warning that Israel must not “turn a blind eye again.”