Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Sunday that his group would consider any Israeli presence in Somaliland a military target, in response to Israel’s recognition of the self-declared republic.

In a statement published by the Houthi-run Al-Masirah website, al-Houthi said any Israeli military presence in the region would amount to aggression against both Somalia and Yemen and would be met with a military response.

He also urged countries on both sides of the Red Sea, as well as the wider Arab and Islamic world, to take practical steps to prevent Israel from what he described as violating Somalia’s sovereignty.