A major military construction project is underway at Berbera airport in Somaliland, according to a report by French daily Le Monde, which said the facility is being converted from a civilian airport into a strategic military base for the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the United States. Citing an investigation based on satellite imagery taken between October 2025 and March 2026, the newspaper said at least 18 large excavations had been dug south of the airport’s runway.

European Union security sources quoted by the newspaper said the sites were designed as underground storage facilities for weapons and fuel, protected against potential air strikes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The report added that fortified positions and air defence missile sites were also being built.

According to Le Monde, the project is being carried out by the United Arab Emirates under a defence agreement signed with Somaliland in 2017, but said the work was ultimately intended to support U.S. and Israeli strategic interests in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The newspaper also reported that Somaliland intelligence officials had made undisclosed visits to Tel Aviv for training, while Israeli intelligence personnel had been seen in Berbera. It said the claims reinforced an earlier report by Africa Intelligence that Israeli security officials had spent months in Somaliland before Israel formally recognised the breakaway region in December 2025.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland triggered strong condemnation from Somalia’s federal government, the African Union, the Arab League and several regional powers, including Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Although Somaliland authorities have repeatedly denied plans to host an Israeli military base, the report noted that a senior minister in the presidency recently suggested that no defence cooperation options had been ruled out, signalling openness to broader security partnerships.

Located on the Gulf of Aden opposite Yemen, Berbera occupies a strategic position overlooking one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors linking the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The airport also has one of the longest runways in the Horn of Africa, making it suitable for large military aircraft. According to the report, its location could enable surveillance of shipping traffic and Houthi activities, while potentially serving as a staging point for military operations linked to the conflict in Yemen.

Neither the United Arab Emirates, Israel nor the United States immediately commented on the report.