New airstrip on Yemeni island sparks fears of military reinforcement
WASHIGNTON, Oct. 21 (YPA) – A new landing strip is being built on Zuqar Island off the coast of Yemen, according to satellite images from Planet Labs PBC published by the Associated Press.
This came in a report on Yemeni affairs posted on Monday by The Cradle, an American website.
The website added: “The landing strip is likely intended to counter the Ansarallah movement, according to analysts and journalists.
It could also enhance intelligence and surveillance capabilities against Sanaa forces, as part of a network of military and spy sites on islands surrounding Yemen, built by the UAE with Israeli assistance.
The Cradle explained that Abu Dhabi and the coalition-backed Aden government, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, did not respond to questions from the Associated Press about the possibility of using the airstrip in a large-scale military campaign.
The 2,000-meter-long runway is located 90 kilometers from the coastal city of Hodeida, which has been subjected to repeated Israeli bombardment in recent months.
Images revealed that work on the airstrip began in April and asphalt laying had begun in August, with work continuing to this day.
UAE-based Saif Shipping and Maritime Services has acknowledged receiving a request to deliver asphalt to Zuqar Island. Other UAE shipping companies have previously been linked to airstrip projects near Yemen.
On Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, off the coast of the Yemeni city of Hodeida, Yemen is being witnessed a military buildup against the Yemeni armed forces. A new runway is being constructed for military aircraft to land and take off.
Eleonora Ardemagni, an analyst at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, told the Associated Press that “the possibility of a new Yemeni offensive, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, against the Ansarallah cannot be ruled out, although I do not see it as imminent.”
Earlier this month, satellite images revealed the expansion of the UAE’s network of military and intelligence bases built on Yemeni islands and areas off the coast of Somalia.
These sites have strengthened the UAE’s control over the waterways near Yemen in recent years, particularly those established in the Socotra archipelago in cooperation with “Israel”.
AA