Satellite images show ‘rapid escalation’ of UAE-Israeli spy bases near Yemen
The UAE-Israeli sites focus on intelligence-sharing and joint missile defense aimed at thwarting threats from Ansarallah
Satellite imagery has revealed that the network of Emirati military and intelligence bases built by the UAE across Yemen’s islands and areas on the coast of Somalia has expanded.
Middle East Eye (MEE), which reviewed the images, reported that Emirati military and intelligence construction has “escalated rapidly” since 7 October 2023.
Israel and the US have participated in the establishment of these sites. Israeli officers have installed radars on the ground in these islands, which allow the UAE to monitor and prevent attacks from Yemen’s Ansarallah.
“The relationship between the UAE and Israel was very developed even before formal diplomatic relations were established, but it was kept quiet. Not secret, just quiet,” Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas told MEE.
The new bases are found in several locations, including parts of Yemen controlled by the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), as well as Somaliland and Puntland.
Army bases, runways, and other sites have been built or expanded on Abd al-Kuri Island and Samhah, which are part of Yemen’s Socotraarchipelago.
There are also Emirati sites at the airports of Bosaso and Berbera in Puntland and Somaliland, Mocha in Yemen, and the island of Mayun in the Bab al-Mandab Strait – where 30 percent of the world’s oil passes.
Through this network, the UAE has facilitated significant control over the waterway. Israeli sources confirmed to MEE that these sites have “been developed in close coordination with Israel.”
The sites are also part of a greater network of missile defense and intelligence sharing between Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, and other states.
“Any presence of the UAE on Socotra Island is based on humanitarian grounds that is carried out in cooperation with the Yemeni government and local authorities,” the Emirati government has previously claimed.
Last year, satellite imagery showed a new UAE airstrip being built on Abd al-Kuri Island. Satellite images obtained by AP showed the phrase “I LOVE UAE” spelled out in the dirt near the airstrip site.
Ansarallah and the Sanaa government have accused Abu Dhabi of forcibly evicting the people of Abd al-Kuri as part of the plan to transform the area into an Israeli-Emirati military and espionage hub.
An in-depth investigation released by The Cradlein March 2023 details the Emirati–Israeli presence on the Socotra archipelago.
In 2022, Socotra made headlines due to the controversy of Israeli tourists visiting the Yemeni island under a UAE-issued visa.
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