UAE Accelerates Work on Joint Base with Israel in Yemen’s Socotra

It has been revealed that the UAE is accelerating its work on a joint base with Israel in the strategically located Socotra Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, since the beginning of the aggression against Yemen in 2015, the UAE has been striving to control the strategic Yemeni Socotra Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

This long-term project is part of a coalition being established between Israel and several Arab countries, specifically the Gulf states, under an American umbrella. The archipelago, along with other Yemeni islands and ports, forms a central point in this coalition.

The urgency of forming this coalition has increased for all parties involved, especially after the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation on October 7, prompting accelerated steps to establish its features, with the forefront being an Emirati-Israeli military base under construction on Abdul Kuri Island, the second largest island in the archipelago after Socotra.

Despite efforts to keep Israel’s involvement in this project out of the public eye, the ultimate goal is to link the militaries and security agencies of Israel and the concerned Arab states under the “US Central Command.”

The first indication of this was the “secret” meeting between the Israeli Chief of General Staff, Herzi Halevi, and the US Central Command Commander, Michael Kurilla, along with the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, the UAE, and Jordan in Manama on June 22. The meeting discussed the “successful experience” of cooperation among these armies in attempting to repel an Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel on April 14-15.

What is the Socotra Archipelago?

The Socotra Archipelago is one of Yemen’s 22 provinces, located northwest of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Al Mahrah Governorate. It comprises the islands of Socotra, Abdul Kuri, Samhah, Darsa, Koraill Pharoun, and Sial. The closest point on the Yemeni mainland is Ras Fartak, 345 kilometers away in Al Mahrah Governorate. The islands are 900 kilometers from Aden and 150 kilometers from Ras Asir on the African coast in Somalia.

Socotra is a key area of interest in the US defense and internal security strategy, with the US naval strategy in the Middle East giving it priority in military maritime planning.

According to the theory of American naval geostrategic expert Alfred Mahan, whoever controls maritime supremacy in the Indian Ocean becomes a major player in shaping the global order. Controlling the Indian Ocean means controlling Asia.

Several studies confirm that controlling Socotra and the surrounding maritime areas enables control over the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the southern Red Sea, the northern Indian Ocean, the southern Arabian Peninsula, Southeast Africa, and the Horn of Africa.

The UAE’s presence in the archipelago coexists with a larger, yet less active, Saudi military presence. However, this presence seems to be in competition within the coalition, as is the case in other regions where the two countries share a presence, including the Yemeni mainland.

It is difficult to imagine Riyadh allowing Abu Dhabi to take control of Socotra if the latter attempts to exceed the requirements of their coalition.

The UAE has done everything to take over the archipelago, recruiting 900 young islanders and relocating them to the UAE instead of deploying them on the island, thereby linking their livelihoods to the UAE. These recruits send remittances to their families on the island, which has a population of around 90,000.

The UAE operates a cellular network affiliated with the “Zain” company, as if it were part of the company’s network in the UAE itself.

The UAE and Israeli Presence

Although there is no direct Israeli presence in the Socotra Archipelago, everything happening there is designed to serve Israeli security through its Emirati ally. Israel provides most of the intelligence to those fighting the “Ansar Allah” movement in Yemen without direct involvement in the confrontation.

Coordination with UAE-aligned groups in Yemen aims to reignite fighting in the south and deter the movement from targeting Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Saudi and Emirati Presence

Saudi Arabia has a military brigade stationed in Socotra, equipped with all its necessities. Initially, the brigade had around 850 soldiers and officers. After stabilizing control over the island, Saudi soldiers began rotating service, with 120 soldiers going on two-month leave, replaced by new ones. Initially, Saudi aviation organized daily flights to the island, now reduced to every two days.

Riyadh has three communication towers for its forces, each with a military site. The Saudi brigade’s headquarters is in the Mouri area, near Hadibu Airport, the capital of Socotra. Another site is located at the General Authority for Environmental Protection in Hadibu, at the city’s western entrance, while the island’s port is under Saudi control, with a Saudi military center.

In contrast, Emirati forces are present at Socotra Airport, 12 kilometers from Hadibu, and at a site in the Port of Hulaf in the city, a large complex belonging to them.

Possibly due to the overwhelming Saudi military presence in Socotra, the UAE chose to move its assets to Abdul Kuri Island, where it has been building a military base since 2021, described as Emirati-Israeli, with preparations to move forces from Socotra to the new base.

The direct Emirati military presence in Socotra is symbolic, with only five to seven personnel. Abu Dhabi uses a different control strategy, recruiting a special force of 250 locals under the name “Security Belt,” distinct from the Socotri recruits in the UAE.

Abu Dhabi is active in the island through the “Emirates Red Crescent” representative, Abu Mubarak Khalfan Al Mazrouei, and the “Khalifa Foundation,” as well as the Emirati military and security representative, Abu Rashid.

Emirati control is effectively enforced through the “Southern Transitional Council,” which administratively and security-wise controls the island through the “coalition”-appointed governor, Raafat Ibrahim. According to the governor appointed by Sana’a, Hashem Saad Al-Suqatri, there is a role exchange between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, the UAE leverages the 900 recruits as a pressure tool on the island’s community, ensuring the loyalty of around 900 families. These recruits are used to exert pressure if tribes or families attempt to rebel against Abu Dhabi.

The Emirati presence in Socotra is concentrated in an area called “Sheq” in the Socotri language (Mahri), meaning market. The Emiratis are also present in the “Al-Wali” fish factory they purchased, near the port, 4 kilometers east of Hadibu. This area, along with a large adjacent land converted into a military camp, forms their main base, along with the “Security Belt” camp.

The US and Israel do not have a permanent visible presence in Socotra, but American and British delegations occasionally visit by private planes under Emirati or Saudi cover, staying for hours before departing.

During these visits, Americans supervised the rehabilitation of two key sites previously used by the Soviet Union. The first is at Ras Moufi, an elevation east of the island overlooking the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, and the second is at Ras Qatinan, west of the island, overlooking the Indian Ocean and the entrance to the Gulf of Aden.

Both sites housed large Soviet radars controlling the Indian Ocean, now operated by Emirati personnel, who have been building a radar station for about a year and a half to monitor maritime traffic in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the entrance to the Gulf of Aden. These are the most crucial sites on the island for tracking movements in and out of the Gulf of Aden.

Due to the strategic importance of the Socotra Archipelago, the UAE, in coordination with Israel, has sought to control it, adding it to its ports and newly established military bases in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa. This control allows them to dominate militarily, economically, and navigationally from the northern Arabian Sea to the Gulf of Aden, reaching the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez.

Satellite images from “Planet” revealed the ongoing construction at the Emirati military base on Abdul Kuri Island (population 1,400), which includes an airstrip still under construction. The island also contains Emirati-Israeli military and intelligence facilities.

The UAE has built the military base and several experimental airstrips in Yera. Satellite images showed construction activities and paving operations for the Emirati airbase.

“ICAD” open-source intelligence site revealed that the Emirati base in Abdul Kuri receives a continuous flow of shipments, with unidentified ships engaging in nearby activities.

These events, alongside commercial operations, raise questions about potential military strategies being pursued under the guise of routine commercial operations to advance regional agendas.

The Ship “Takreem”

After October 7, the UAE-flagged landing ship “Takreem” was seen moving towards Abdul Kuri Island.

The ship, designed for transporting and deploying soldiers, military equipment, and vehicles during assault operations, departed from Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi on December 21, 2023, arriving in Socotra on December 29, staying until January 7, 2024.

Afterward, it moved west to Abdul Kuri Island, docking there until January 11 before returning to Socotra and departing for the UAE on January 18. “Takreem” first reached Abdul Kuri on November 20, 2021.

On November 26, it concealed its signal while off the island’s shores, reappearing on December 25 in the Arabian Sea heading north, suggesting suspicious activity at the time.

Information indicates that the ship’s voyages aimed to transport military supplies and specialized personnel overseeing the development of the Emirati base.

After the necessary construction equipment was delivered to Socotra Airport on March 9, 2021, Emirati construction teams started work on Abdul Kuri Island. As of February 2022, the Emirates’ pace of construction on the island has increased to complete the military and intelligence base on the second-largest island in the archipelago.