U.S. troops arrive at Al-Anad base amid escalating military movements near Bab al-Mandab
LAHJ, Jan. 28 (YPA) – A high-level team of foreign military experts—including U.S. officers and others of various nationalities—has arrived on at Al-Anad Air Base in Lahj province, south of Yemen.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the team, accompanied by Saudi officers, arrived at the base over the past two days.
The move coincides with reports of intensified U.S. military activity on the strategic Red Sea islands of Zagar and Mayon.
These developments come alongside rapid construction and military upgrades at the Bani al-Hakam airstrip in the Dhubab district, overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The sources indicated that a 560-meter taxiway has recently been completed, along with a newly paved aircraft parking area. The facility includes a runway measuring 2.49 kilometers in length and 130 meters in width, fortified aircraft hangars, and fully integrated accommodation facilities.
Military observers linked these field movements near Bab al-Mandab, the escalating activity on Zagar and Mayon islands, and recent U.S. announcements regarding the deployment of aircraft carriers and additional naval fleets to the region.
They suggested that these developments is a point to preparations for a new phase of military escalation against Yemen, aimed at securing U.S. and Israeli interests in the Red Sea.
The observers viewed the moves as part of the outcomes of the so-called “Maritime Security Conference” held in Riyadh in mid-September, particularly following the setbacks suffered by Washington and Tel Aviv during confrontations tied to Yemen’s support for Gaza over the past two years.
Over the past year, U.S. forces have overseen intensive assessment and training programs for units affiliated with Tariq Saleh, the nephew of the farmer president Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Mocha city of Taiz, as well as the UAE-backed Al-Amaliqa Brigades in Shabwa.
These programs included specialized training conducted in the UAE and Egypt, within a broader strategy to enhance operational capabilities for protecting international and Israeli interests along key Red Sea maritime corridors.
AA