Military Base in Socotra: How the UAE Is Strengthening Israeli Presence in Yemen

The relationship between the UAE and “Israel” has recently progressed beyond political and economic normalization, reaching a level where “Israel” is now establishing a foothold in the Arab region.

The latest development in this regard was revealed by the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, which reported on July 29, 2024, that “Israel” and the UAE are expediting the construction of an intelligence military base on Abd al-Kuri Island in the Socotra Archipelago, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

According to the report, “Israel” and the UAE are preparing a nightmare for Iran and the Houthis close to their borders, under the American umbrella, following increased attacks by the group in the Red Sea.

This came after a meeting between Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, U.S. Central Command Chief Michael Kurilla, and military leaders from the UAE and other countries in June 2024, according to the same source.

The Base Story

Following its intervention in Yemen under the pretext of combating the Houthis, the UAE occupied Socotra Island, with UAE-backed separatists taking control of the island by force and expelling the forces loyal to former Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on June 21, 2020.

The UAE's strategy was to control Yemen's most important ports, resulting in its takeover of 12 ports along the country’s coast.

These ports include Aden, al-Mucha, al-Mukalla, al-Dabba, Bi’r Ali, Balhaf, Rudum, Zubab, al-Khawkhah, al-Khawbah, Qena, and al-Nashima.

The UAE has been also working on constructing a new port in al-Mahrah, with an estimated cost of around $100 million, according to The Cradle on March 24, 2023.

By controlling these ports and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the UAE can dominate one of the world's busiest shipping routes, thereby elevating its status in global and regional trade to a strategic player.

Abd al-Kuri Island is the second largest island in the Socotra Archipelago, situated between the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa.

The UAE expanded its efforts to occupy this Yemeni island due to its strategic importance, located along a major shipping route linking Europe and Asia, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Abu Dhabi began constructing and developing a joint military base with “Israel” on Abd al-Kuri Island in December 2021.

The presence of Israeli forces in the Socotra Archipelago and the Abd al-Kuri base was initially revealed by the French Jewish community website JForum.

The site reported on August 30, 2020, that the UAE and “Israel” were planning to establish a military base on Socotra Island.

“According to Yemeni sources, Israel and the UAE are making all logistical preparations to set up intelligence bases to gather information throughout the Gulf of Aden, from the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Socotra Island,” the source reported.

In August 2020, the U.S. analytical website SouthFront also revealed the intention of the UAE and “Israel” to create military and intelligence facilities on Socotra Island.

The website quoted Arab and French sources saying that a delegation of Emirati and Israeli officers visited the island and inspected several sites with the goal of establishing intelligence facilities.

Intelligence Online also confirmed on September 9, 2020, that intelligence officers from the UAE and “Israel” arrived in Socotra at the end of August 2020.

It noted that the Southern Transitional Council was under pressure from the UAE to agree to the establishment of a joint Emirati-Israeli intelligence base.

A report from the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) in November 2023 also confirmed that Socotra houses an Emirati intelligence base in cooperation with “Israel,” which could deploy Israeli-made sensors to counter Iranian missiles and drones.

Key Handovers

On January 13, 2022, the open-source intelligence platform Ekad revealed, through satellite images obtained from Planet, the construction of an Emirati military base on Abd al-Kuri Island, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Satellite images collected by the Ekad team from Maxar and Sentinel Hub satellites in 2023 revealed that the UAE began constructing a new aircraft runway on Abd al-Kuri Island, alongside the existing runway that was started in December 2021.

On March 27, 2023, details of the base being built by the UAE on Abd al-Kuri were published through satellite images.

These developments reveal that the UAE has been rapidly updating its military presence on Abd al-Kuri Island, Yemen, the second-largest island in the Socotra Archipelago.

The rapid development of the base, along with the presence of unidentified ships flying the UAE flag and ongoing supplies to the UAE military installation, coincided with Operation al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023, suggesting possible Israeli involvement.

There has been a noticeable increase in the length of the main runway at the base, making it capable of accommodating military cargo planes and strategic bombers.

This coincided with the UAE’s efforts to expel the island's native population by offering them lucrative financial incentives to leave.

The development of this UAE-Israeli base also aligns with the enhancement of other military bases in Yemen, such as the Rayan base in southern Yemen, and bases developed by the UAE in recent years, like Perim at the Bab al-Mandab gateway and Mocha overlooking the Red Sea.

This indicates a rapid acceleration of the security perimeter to counter Houthi attacks and deter Iran.

A political expert from Egypt told Al-Estiklal that what Abu Dhabi has done at this base resembles a "handover of the key" to the Israeli Occupation state, bringing “Israel” into the heart of the Arab region to control the Bab al-Mandab area.

He described the situation as an Emirati plan to give the Israeli Occupation a military base in Yemen to confront the Houthis, under the pretense of liberating Sana'a, while actually handing over the country to the Israelis through joint military bases.

This implies that Arab national security is more threatened than ever, as the UAE has brought “Israel” to Yemen, specifically to Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean, according to a previous report by Al-Estiklal.

On March 24, 2023, The Cradle published an in-depth investigation detailing the UAE-Israeli presence in the Socotra Archipelago and Abd al-Kuri Island.

The report confirmed that the UAE’s presence is part of Emirati tyranny over the waters, with the UAE and “Israel” occupying Socotra Island.

It warned that transforming Socotra Island into an Emirati-Israeli intelligence and military center has heightened concerns among the Houthi group and its allies, potentially increasing the geopolitical risks of the Yemen war.

For Whom?

Newly released satellite images by Associated Press on March 28, 2024, show the construction of an aircraft landing strip on Abd al-Kuri Island, with images of the runway featuring the phrase “I love the UAE,” indicating the identity of the location.

The Associated Press noted that the intensification of work at this UAE-Israeli military base coincided with increased attacks by the Houthi group on ships linked to “Israel” or heading towards it as part of a campaign in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

To cover up the true nature and purpose of the base, the UAE media reported in March 2024 that Washington is sending troops and missile defense batteries to Socotra Island, suggesting that the UAE base serves American interests or results from UAE-American cooperation rather than UAE-Israeli collaboration.

However, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) denied to Responsible Statecraft on March 26, 2024, any American presence on Socotra Island or elsewhere in Yemen.

A report by al-Akhbar Lebanese newspaper noted that despite efforts to keep “Israel” out of the spotlight in this project, the ultimate goal of the base is to connect the armies and security agencies of Tel Aviv and the concerned Arab countries under the umbrella of the "U.S. Central Command."

The newspaper, close to Hezbollah, clarified on July 29, 2024, that “while there is no direct visible presence of Israel in the Socotra Archipelago, everything happening there is designed to serve its security through the Emirati ally.”

It has been revealed that Tel Aviv is providing most of the intelligence to those fighting the Houthi group in Yemen without directly engaging in the confrontation.

It has been confirmed that the U.S. does not maintain a permanent or visible presence in Socotra. However, American and British delegations occasionally arrive by private aircraft, operating under Emirati or Saudi cover, and typically stay for only a few hours before leaving.

During these visits, Americans have overseen the refurbishment of two major sites that were previously part of the Soviet Union.

The first site is located at Ras Mufi, an elevated area on the eastern side of the island overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the east.

The second site is at Ras Qatinan on the western side of the island, overlooking the Indian Ocean and the entrance to the Gulf of Aden to the west.

These sites previously housed large Soviet radar installations monitoring the Indian Ocean.

Currently, the equipment at these locations is operated by the UAE, which has been working for about a year and a half to build a radar station to monitor maritime traffic in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.

The newspaper notes that, given the strategic importance of the Socotra Archipelago, the UAE has coordinated with “Israel” to control it and integrate it into its newly established ports and military bases in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa.

The UAE aims to consolidate military, economic, and navigational control from the northern Arabian Sea to the Gulf of Aden, reaching the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.