(Exclusive) UAE is offering its military base in Socotra to U.S ..While Houthis are studying plans of attacking it
Yemen Monitor / Socotra :
Houthis are considering to launch attacks on an Emirati base in Socotra island, after the Gulf states offered the United States to use the Yemeni island to monitor Iranian ships that are active in the region, sources in Sana’a told ”Yemen Monitor”.
The governorate of the Socotra archipelago that was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage located off the Horn of Africa (350 kilometers from Yemen, 230 kilometers from Somalia), the archipelago consists of a large island “Socotra” and three other rocky islands: Abd al-Kuri, Samha and Darra.
“Yemen monitor” sources in Sana’a said that since last November, Abu Dhabi began paying more military experts, equipment and tools to Abdulkuri Island, where there is an Emirati –Israeli military base.
Since 2020, Houthis have accused the UAE of expelling the small population of Abdulkuri island to build a military base with Israel. At the beginning of 2023, Israeli media (Hebrew) indicated that the UAE and Israel have completed the construction of a military base and a number of runways on the island of “Abdul Kuri”.
This is consistent with the sources of” Yemen monitor ” in Socotra, which confirmed that the UAE fully manages Abdulkuri Island (the second largest island in the archipelago), and it became a closed military zone after the Yemeni government forces that were there with their weapons were expelled in early 2023; and the Yemeni government cannot access it.
The Emirati goal
According to sources in Sana’a, an Arabic intelligence informed the Houthis that the UAE asked the United States to use the military base in Abdulkuri during the increasement of the Houthi attacks in Bab al-Mandab strait, the Gulf of Aden , the Arabian Sea, and Iranian attacks in the Indian Ocean .UAE wants to besiege the Saudi Arabia’s opinion of rejecting the use of Yemeni territory in the current international struggle, especially after the agreement sponsored by China between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran last year.
Sources from Sana’a indicated that Houthi leaders and Iranian advisers are aware of the movements on Abdulkuri Island, and ”that the reaction will be as much as the developments”. Iran fears targeting three ships supplying information to the Houthis located in the Gulf of Aden and to the east of Socotra island.
The opinion and response of the United States is not known yet. And they has not yet discused the issue with the internationally recognized Yemeni government ,a senior Yemeni government official familiar with U.S. meetings with the government said.
The United States and Britain have launched a campaign of air strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have carried out repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea in what they say it is solidarity with Gaza. But these air campaigns are not enough to deter the Houthis.
The military base in Abdulkuri can intercept communications between Iranian warships and monitor ship movements in the area around the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, where Houthi and Iranian attacks have occurred over the past weeks.
The greater possibility of intercepting Iranian weapons smuggling ships to the Houthis is what brings achievements to Western forces. Iran says that it conducts constant surveillance on the islands of Abdulkuri and” Socotra”, and that all movements of Emirati troops along with foreign troops working alongside them are under constant monitoring.
Regarding the gaining of the United States of a foothold on Socotra island would monitor shipping lines between the Indian and Pacific oceans, which Beijing and Moscow would consider dangerous. It increases the intersection of external interventions in Yemen which will not be accepted by the internationally recognized government.
The sources spoke to” Yemen monitor ” on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
If the Houthis carry out their threats, it will be the first attack on Socotra island since its invasion of the capital city of Yemen Sana’a in 2014. The Yemeni archipelago has remained far from the main conflict, except clashes between the government forces and those loyal to the UAE.
Transmitting antennas
A source at Hadibo airport (the capital city of Socotra), indicates that the UAE has transferred radio equipments and antennas since November. Another source indicates that antennas with a length of up to 200 meters were installed on mountain hills in Socotra under the protection of the Southern Transitional Council.
The experts installing the antennas reported that they are a roving amateur radio team targeting the hinterland to do advanced radio transmission! According to a source in the local authority to”Yemen monitor”. Sources in Socotra indicated that the entry of similar devices is repeated in separate periods in 2022.
Since 2020, the archipelago of Socotra has been under the control of the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist entity, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates.
Emirati planes are flying back and forth to Socotra island without permission from the Yemeni government, after Yemeni officials authorized to issue permits expelled by Abu Dhabi during its taking over the province. In February 2023, the Emirati military commander (Abu Rashid) Saleh Ali Mohsen, a UAE loyalist, was appointed head of Immigration and passports in the province, while he is a junior officer with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
