Satellite images show a new runway being built on a volcanic island in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, likely the latest project undertaken by allies of those opposing the Houthi rebels.
The runway on Zuqar Island adds another link in a growing network of naval and aerial bases in a key corridor for international shipping. The Houthis have already attacked more than 100 vessels in the area, sunk four ships, and killed at least nine sailors amid the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.
Such a base would allow military forces to conduct aerial surveillance over the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the two waterways between East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Still, it remains unclear whether the runway is intended for military operations. The United Arab Emirates, which has previously built runways in the region, did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did the anti-Houthi Yemeni factions, who remain divided by competing interests and have been unable to mount a coordinated offensive against the rebels, even after intense Israeli and US bombing campaigns targeting Houthi positions.
In recent months, anti-Houthi forces have succeeded in intercepting another shipment of weapons bound for the rebels, an operation that a presence on Zuqar Island could further support.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by AP show construction of a nearly 2,000-meter-long runway on Zuqar Island, located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of Hodeidah, a major port city controlled by the Houthis.
The photos indicate that construction began in April with the building of a pier, followed by ground clearing along the runway site. By late August, what appears to be asphalt had been laid across the airstrip. Images from October show the work continuing, with runway markings painted in mid-month.
No party has publicly claimed responsibility for the construction. However, ship-tracking data analyzed by AP shows that a bulk carrier named Albatssa, sailing under the Togolese flag and registered to a Dubai-based shipping company, spent nearly a week docked at the new pier on Zuqar Island after arriving from Berbera in Somaliland, a DP World port site. DP World declined to comment.
The Dubai-based shipping company Saif Shipping and Marine Services confirmed that it had received an order to supply asphalt to the island—presumably for the runway—on behalf of other companies also based in the UAE. Other Emirati shipping firms have been linked to previous runway construction projects in Yemen, which were later connected to the UAE.
