A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world’s crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo
No country has laid claim to Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Several sources say the United Arab Emirates has been building the baseUAE were linked to a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the small island
A runway there allows owner to easily launch airstrikes into wartorn Yemen
Also a base for any operations into the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and East Africa
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Satellite photograph shows Mayun Island airbase (Planet Labs Inc via AP)
A mysterious air base has been built on a volcanic island off Yemen that could allow whoever controls it to project power in one of the world’s most crucial maritime checkpoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo.
While no country has claimed the Mayun Island air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with a prior attempt to build a massive runway across the 5.6km (3.5 mile)-long island years ago links back to the United Arab Emirates.
Military officials in Yemen s internationally recognised government have said the Emiratis are behind this latest effort as well, even though the UAE announced in 2019 it was withdrawing its troops from a Saudi-led military campaign battling Yemen s Houthi rebels, the Associated Press reported.
Mysterious air base built on island off Yemen
AP, DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
A mysterious air base being built on a volcanic island off Yemen sits in one of the world’s crucial maritime chokepoints for energy shipments and commercial cargo.
While no country has claimed the air base on Mayun Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping traffic associated with an attempt years ago to build a massive runway across the 5.6km-long island links back to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Officials in Yemen’s internationally recognized government have said that the Emiratis are behind this latest effort as well, even though the UAE in 2019 announced that it was withdrawing its troops from a Saudi Arabia-led military campaign battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels.