Israeli-Emirati moves to establish military runway in Socotra launched

SOCORTA, Jan. 01 (YPA) – The Israeli Navy has set out to establish an independent military runway on the UAE forces-held island of Socotra of Yemen.

Local sources said that a number of geological survey experts arrived at Hadibo Airport on an Emirati plane for the purpose of studying the establishment of a military runway for the Israeli Navy on the island.

The sources affirmed that the Israeli-Emirati moves to establish the airport in Socotra comes as part of joint military arrangements in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, as part of the Israeli project to control maritime navigation routes from the southern entrance to the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.

According to the sources, the establishment of the military runway would guarantee the arrival of Israeli enemy officers and experts independently away from the civilian airport, using for naval and air combat exercises, under the pretext of confronting Iranian dangers in the Indian Ocean.

This came after the arrival of 12 engineers and experts of various foreign nationalities, including Israelis, through the Khalifa Foundation to Hadibo Airport, early last December.

The Israeli Navy has established a military base and deployed centers for surveillance systems and modern radars linked to small spy submarines on the island of Socotra, after the UAE announced normalization with Tel Aviv in mid-August 2020.

AA