INTERNACIONAL
Could Somaliland base emerge as US foothold against Iran, Houthis in key sea lanes?
Africom general visits Somaliland in November
U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. He also visited Hargeisa and Berbera on Nov. 26, 2025. (Video by Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri.)
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JOHANNESBURG: A strategically important air base and port have been offered to the U.S. as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz begins and Iran-backed threats target the key Red Sea chokepoint of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Top U.S. military officials, including the Commander of U.S. Forces in Africa, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, recently visited facilities being offered in Somaliland. Somaliland is a pro-U.S. outpost, having broken away from war-torn Somalia in 1991.
Bab-el-Mandeb, which is Arabic for ‘gate of tears’, has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed. Bloomberg News reported that Saudi Arabia has switched to shipping potentially up to seven million barrels of oil a day from its port at Yanbu on the Red Sea through the strait. It’s reported that up to 14% of the world’s shipping passes through the 16-mile-wide strait.
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Somaliland security personnel stand watch in front of shipping containers being stored at Berbera Port. (Ed Ram/AFP)
Enter the controversial offer to the U.S. of an air and naval base at Berbera in Somaliland. The official Republic of Somaliland site on X extolled Berbera’s virtues last month, boasting that it has «a deep water port along the artery connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean», and «one of Africa’s longest runways, originally developed as a NASA emergency landing site.»
«Berbera obviously has huge strategic potential,» for sea and air operations, Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital.
BAB-EL-MANDEB, YEMEN – 22 OCTOBER 2020 : An aerial view of The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a sea route connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021)
The U.S. does have another Red Sea base in Djibouti, but Fitton-Brown told Fox News Digital the government there is increasingly uncomfortable with some of the Administration’s policies: «Djibouti becomes an increasingly reluctant, unwilling ally to the U.S. in helping enforce sanctions on the Houthis. Somaliland, which is almost equally well-placed to address issues on the western and southwestern coasts of Yemen, can help the U.S., Israel and the UAE combat the Houthis.»
The controversy comes over the question of U.S. recognition of Somaliland.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, president of Somaliland, in Hargeisa, Somaliland, on Nov. 26, 2025. The meeting was part of Gen. Anderson’s trip in East Africa to meet with government and defense leaders to strengthen America’s strategic approach to confronting terrorism through mutual engagement, stronger cooperation, and aligned security priorities. (U.S. Army photo by Cpt. Ubon Mendie)
President Trump, in the Oval Office last August, told reporters, «We’re looking into that right now,» when asked about the recognition of Somaliland and the possible resettlement of Gazans there, adding, «We’re working on that right now, Somaliland.»
But this past week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «the United States continues to recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which includes the territory of Somaliland.»
Last year Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland.
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In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan transit the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Aug. 9, 2023. (Mass Communications Spc. 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/U.S. Navy via AP)
Iran is pushing the Houthis to take action in the Red Sea. «Insecurity in other straits, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, is one of the options of the Resistance Front, and the situation will become much more complicated than it is today for the Americans,» the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked Tasmin news agency warned on March 21.
Baraa Shaiban, an expert on the Houthis at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), says the recognition of Somaliland is problematic, as it «will upset the U.S. relationship with the Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, many of which are U.S. allies. It would be unwise for the United States to upset its allies in the region just to gain access to Somaliland ports.»
This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen’s Houthi fighters’ takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo on the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023, in the Red Sea, Yemen. (Houthi Movement/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the U.S. military in Africa (AFRICOM), told Fox News Digital, «The U.S. is not seeking to establish new basing, as such actions do not align with the America First security framework articulated by the President and Secretary of War.»
While publicly both the use of bases and recognition of Somaliland are no-go areas, analysts say that with Somaliland offering the use of its bases without immediate recognition by the administration, the issue is perhaps privately not off the table.
And that could be why a recent video shared with Fox News Digital shows AFRICOM Commander Dagvin Anderson and a large group of senior military officials in Somaliland, where he met with its president and appearing to inspect the port in Berbera in November, just 5 months ago.
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That’s not the only reported visit. Somaliland’s top diplomatic representative in Washington, Bashir Goth, told a recent Foreign Policy Research Institute debate, «The war in the Middle East has elevated Somaliland’s strategic importance,» Goth noted. » U.S. Military interest has been very strong. Every month, there has been a delegation from AFRICOM to Hargeisa. (The capital of Somaliland)».
Fox News Digital reached out to the Republic of Somaliland, but they declined to comment.
war with iran, saudi arabia, africa, iran, military
INTERNACIONAL
Jeffries declines to back Wasserman Schultz as Black leaders revolt over district switch
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Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is facing mounting backlash from some Black leaders over her decision to seek re-election in a majority-minority district, a move that appears to be costing her support from the highest-ranking Black Democrat in Congress.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declined to endorse Wasserman Schultz’s re-election bid Tuesday after she entered the race for the plurality-Black district, where she faces four Black opponents in the Aug. 18 primary.
«Haven’t made a decision, as it relates to that particular race,» the lead Democrat said at a news conference when asked if he supports Wasserman Schultz’s run for the Fort Lauderdale-based seat.
Jeffries said he’s spoken to Wasserman Schultz, a member of his leadership team, about the race, but stopped short of offering his support.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, accompanied by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, speaks at a Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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«Everybody has a right to run where they see fit. They’ve got to make their case to the people that they hope to represent moving forward,» he said.
«I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment in terms of an unprecedented Jim Crow-like assault on Black political representation that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court’s outrageous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act,» he added, invoking the court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which curbed the use of race in the drawing of electoral districts and spurred redistricting in several Republican-led states affecting majority-minority districts represented by Black Democrats.
«And it’s an environment that all of us need to be sensitive to as we move forward,» he said.
Jeffries’ comments come as Wasserman Schultz seeks to weather fierce criticism from some local Black leaders over her decision to run in the district. The seat has been represented by a Black lawmaker for more than three decades.
Elijah Manley, a progressive Gen-Z activist running in the Democratic primary, slammed Wasserman Schultz in a statement posted to social media.
«First, she said the CBC [Congressional Black Caucus] encouraged her to run. The CBC Chair said they did not,» Manley wrote. «Then she went on TV and said that Leader Jeffries was supporting her. Jeffries just declined to endorse her.»
«It is not a good day to be named Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida’s 20th District,» he continued.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declined to endorse Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s re-election campaign on Tuesday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Wasserman Schultz, however, will likely have a significant fundraising advantage over her primary opponents. Her campaign account has more than $2.5 million in the bank, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.
Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., previously occupied the solidly blue seat before she resigned amid an expulsion threat and House Ethics Committee investigation earlier this year. Cherfilus-McCormick is running again for the seat despite facing a pending criminal trial tied to allegedly stealing more than $5 million in disaster relief funds, among other charges.
Former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness and musician Luther Campbell are also vying for the Democratic nomination.
Florida Republicans carved up Wasserman Schultz’s safe Democratic seat as part of a new GOP-friendly congressional map signed into law in May.
Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is running against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Democratic primary contest, despite facing a pending criminal trial that could result in more than half a century in prison if convicted. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
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Wasserman Schultz previously served as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, during which her tenure was rocked by the release of internal emails disparaging Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. She first won election to the House in 2004.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Wasserman Schultz campaign before publication.
politics, primary results, republicans elections, democrats, democrats senate
INTERNACIONAL
Israeli official says EU sanctions reveal antisemitism hiding behind ‘socially acceptable mask’
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Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister accused the European Union of weaponizing a «socially acceptable mask» of anti-Zionism to target Israel— after it sanctioned Israeli civil society groups that oppose a Palestinian state. It also sanctioned several individuals.
«We are witnessing a deeply troubling trend where traditional antisemitism has simply put on a new, socially acceptable mask: anti-Zionism,» Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told Fox News Digital. «Where prejudice once targeted the individual Jew, it is now directed at the collective Jewish state and our fundamental right to live in our ancestral homeland. But make no mistake, the political targeting of Israel always bleeds into an assault on Jewish life itself,» Haskel added.
The European Union imposed the sanctions on four Israeli civil society organizations and three of their senior figures, alleging support for «settler violence» and claiming they undermine prospects for a Palestinian state — a move that Regavim, one of the groups targeted, described as an infringement on Israeli sovereignty.
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European Union-sponsored structures in Area C on the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria.
«Our entire activity consists of legal and parliamentary work. We collect and analyze information and policies and go to court and the legislature to highlight areas where Israel’s policy is either lacking or misguided,» Naomi Kahn, Regavim’s Director of International Division, told Fox News Digital.
«The European Union is trying to control the internal political system and policies of an independent state that is supposed to be an ally. When we point out the absurdity of the situation, they don’t like it,» she said.
In its announcement, the European External Action Service (EEAS) stated that «extremist settlers and the organizations supporting them contribute directly to violence, forced displacement and dispossession across the West Bank.»
European Union flags blow in the wind outside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France, on Nov. 27, 2019. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
The sanctions, according to the EEAS, «target entities and individuals that facilitate, finance or support activities contributing to settler violence and serious human rights abuses against Palestinians.»
The statement also accused Regavim of lobbying for «the demolition of Palestinian property» and referenced an EU-funded school in Jabbet al-Dhib near Bethlehem.
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Israeli lawmakers condemned a leaked EU document they say reveals illegal EU funding for a Palestinian state, citing construction of an unauthorized school in Area C, which they say violates the Oslo Accords. (Regavim)
Kahn said the school was constructed illegally on Israeli state land in Area C, within a nature reserve connected to the Herodian complex. She said legal proceedings were carried out regarding the structure and that it was ultimately demolished.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, negotiated during the Clinton administration, the West Bank was divided into three areas: Area A, under full Palestinian control; Area B, under Palestinian civil authority with Israeli security control; and Area C, under full Israeli administrative and security control.
Kahn added that an engineering assessment found the school unsafe for use, arguing that placing students and teachers inside it posed «downright dangerous» conditions.
A view of the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria, a region discussed by evangelical Christian leaders urging the Trump administration to recognize Israel’s claim to the area. (TPS)
«We pointed out that the E.U. and the Palestinian Authority are simply violating the law in a very purposeful, systematic way to take control of Area C using structures like schools, sometimes mosques, and homes of innocent people that they push into those areas,» she added.
Regavim has published a report claiming there are 100 illegal schools in Area C that it says are being used by the P.A. as part of a broader strategy of de facto annexation.
Separately, a 2023 mapping study by Regavim estimated that roughly 103,000 unauthorized Arab-built structures exist across the West Bank, asserting that the P.A.—often with external support — has facilitated extensive illegal construction activity.
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The West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria, is home to some 500,000 Israelis. (Mahmoud Illean/AP)
In response, Israel’s cabinet last month approved a set of broad measures aimed at countering efforts by the P.A. to establish de facto control over disputed territories.
Under the resolution, initiatives attributed to Ramallah to create a parallel land registry in Area C were declared to have no legal validity or standing.
«The real target here is not violence, but legitimate political opposition. The sanctioned organizations do not support violent action; rather, they have consistently challenged the concept of a two-state solution and exposed how the EU actively builds illegal structures in Judea and Samaria,» Haskel said, referring to the biblical names of the territories.»
She accused the EU of disregarding the Oslo Accords and «attempting to unilaterally alter facts on the ground to steal Israeli land.»
Sharren Haskel, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Israel accused the EU of disregarding the Oslo Accords and «attempting to unilaterally alter facts on the ground to steal Israeli land.» (@Sharren Haskel via X)
Haskel acknowledged there was an issue, as in any society, with some individuals who break the law, but emphasized they represent a small minority and that Israel investigates and prosecutes them. She said grouping hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Israeli residents in the West Bank together with Hamas — a genocidal terror organization responsible for mass murder — distorts moral distinctions.
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She said, «This creates a false and dangerous symmetry that minimizes the exceptional threat of global terrorism while politically targeting individual Israelis. It is an unacceptable moral equivalence that blurs the line between a sovereign democracy defending its people and the savage terror apparatus trying to destroy it.»
Following several requests for comment, European External Action Service (EEAS) referred Fox News Digitial to its original sanctions statement.
anti semitism, israel, the european union, middle east, terrorism
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