Somalia has slammed West Jerusalem's move as "deliberate attack" on its sovereignty

Israel has become the first country to officially recognize the independence of Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, the government in West Jerusalem has announced.

Somaliland cut ties with Somalia's central government in Mogadishu in 1991 following a decade-long conflict. The Sunni Muslim region, which sits on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden in East Africa, has an estimated population of 6.2 million.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar signed the declaration recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign state on Friday.

Netanyahu told Somaliland's leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, in a phone call that relations between West Jerusalem and Hargeisa are "seminal and historic," and that Israel was planning on working with Somaliland on economic issues, as well as in the areas of agriculture and social development.

The Israeli prime minister invited Abdullahi to make an official visit to Israel, to which the latter replied that he would do so "as soon as possible," according to a statement by West Jerusalem.

Abdullahi described Israel's recognition of Somaliland as the beginning of a "strategic partnership." He also expressed readiness for Somaliland to join the Abraham Accords, the agreement under which several Arab and Muslim states normalized ties with Israel.

Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory, accused Israel of launching a "deliberate attack" on its sovereignty. "Illegitimate actions of this nature seriously undermine regional peace and stability, exacerbate political and security tensions," the country's Foreign Ministry said.

Israeli Channel 12 reported earlier that Abdullahi made a secret trip to Israel in October, meeting with Netanyahu and security officials. According to the broadcaster, Israel and Somaliland strengthened ties as West Jerusalem examined the possibility of resettling the population of Gaza to another location during its military operation in the Palestinian enclave.

When asked by the New York Post whether the US might follow Israel in recognizing Somaliland's independence, President Donald Trump was not ready to do so, questioning "Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?" However, he promised to "study" the issue.

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The head of the African Union, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, insisted that Somaliland "remains an integral part" of Somalia. The recognition by Israel is "setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent," he warned.