A report published by the pro-Hezbollah, Iran and their allies Al Mayadeen media outlet said that an Israeli military shipment had entered Somalia, registered as being destined for a United Nations office.
According to the report, the shipment, weighing nearly 1,000 kilograms, departed from Tel Aviv and passed through Nairobi before arriving in Mogadishu on June 21.
The sources said that the shipment was registered as equipment for the United Nations office, but contained a sophisticated communications system for military and intelligence purposes.
The report added that the equipment was manufactured by Mer Security and Communications, a company based in Or Yehuda, Israel, and was ultimately transferred to the United Nations office in Mogadishu.
As of press time, neither the United Nations nor the Somali government had issued any official statement on the claims.
The report comes amid growing speculation about Israeli activity in the Horn of Africa.
On June 25, the leader of the Ansarallah group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said his group would take action against what he described as Israeli attempts to establish a base in Somalia.
Al-Houthi argued that Israel seeks to expand its influence in order to gain control over the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Straits, which are among the most strategic shipping lanes in the world.
“We are closely monitoring what is happening in Somalia and the efforts of the Israeli enemy to control the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab,” Al-Houthi said.
He also said that Ansarallah will “target any Israeli movement on Somali soil at any time,” calling on countries along the Red Sea to take a united stance against what he described as the expansion of Israeli influence.
