As Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue to attack ships in the Middle East waterway, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show what appears to be a new airport being built at the entrance to the vital sea route.
No country has publicly claimed that construction is underway on Abdul Khouri Island, a sliver of land rising from the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden.
However, satellite images appeared to show workers spelling out “I love UAE,” an abbreviation for the United Arab Emirates, on a pile of dirt next to the runway.
As Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip intensifies, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea it leads to have become battlegrounds between the Houthis and U.S.-led forces in the region – potentially allowing one country to put its power Project to the area.
The construction comes amid conflicts in the past caused by the presence of Emirati troops on the Socotra island chain, to which Abdul Quri belongs, and the presence of separatist forces it backs in southern Yemen.
The United Arab Emirates said Thursday in response to questions from The Associated Press that “any UAE presence in Socotra is based on humanitarian grounds and is conducted in cooperation with the Yemeni government and local authorities.”
“The UAE remains firmly committed to all international efforts aimed at promoting the resumption of Yemen’s political process, thereby promoting the security, stability and prosperity sought by the Yemeni people,” it added, without elaborating.
Yemen’s embassies in Washington and Saudi Arabia, which leads the coalition fighting the Houthis, did not respond to questions.
Abd al-Kuri is about 35 kilometers long and about 5 kilometers at its widest point. It is closer to the Horn of Africa than Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country and has been at war for years.
Along the widest point is the construction of the airport runway. Planet Labs PBC satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show parts of the sand turning dark brown as trucks and other vehicles drove on the runway on March 11.
Images of the scene taken by Planet Labs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday showed vehicles in various positions and active work being done on site, possibly including paving roads.
The runway extends from north to south, with a total length of about 3 kilometers. A runway of this length can accommodate attack, reconnaissance and transport aircraft, and even some of the heaviest bombers.
According to images from Planet Labs, construction could initially be seen in the area in January 2022, with a diagonal, shorter runway dug out of sand.
The first signs of construction of the longer north-south runways were in July 2022, but work was later halted.
There has been an increase in activity at Abdul Quli Airport this month, including work on the northern edge of the runway near the water and the movement of heavy vehicles.
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