News - Yemen: The Saudi-UAE-backed government announced the opening of a new airport on Abd al-Kuri Island in the Socotra Archipelago, a move that lends legitimacy to the Emirati occupation.

Abdulsalam Hameed, the Minister of Transportation in the mercenary government and a leader in the UAE-backed Transitional Council, announced the opening of the new airport on Abd al-Kuri Island, allegedly to mask the establishment of an Emirati military base there.

Activists and media figures on social media platforms raised numerous questions about the announcement, particularly since the island is home to only a few dozen families, with a population not exceeding 1,000 people. The vast majority of the island's residents have never left the island and do not possess passports.

Over the past five years, there have been no announcements or indications from the hotel-based government, its Ministry of Transportation, or even the so-called Transitional Council and local authorities regarding the construction of an airport on Abd al-Kuri. However, international newspapers have reported on construction activities that began in 2021 by the Emirati occupation, after transforming Abd al-Kuri into a military base for the benefit of the Zionist entity, as well as American and British forces.

In a recent international report, the American maritime magazine *Maritime Executive* indicated in January that the construction of the airport was completed by December of last year, with a 1,800-meter runway now capable of accommodating attack, reconnaissance, and heavy transport aircraft. The magazine also confirmed that the airport could be used in international conflicts, raising questions about the implications of its opening and its future uses.

Abd al-Kuri Island is the second-largest island in the Socotra Archipelago, located between the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa. The UAE's ambitions for the Yemeni island lie in its strategic location along a major shipping route connecting Europe and Asia, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to *ECADE*.

The Yemeni island of Socotra is a focal point for both "Israel" and the UAE, who are seeking to establish a stronger strategic presence there. Reports indicate that the UAE had plans to control the island even before the aggression against Yemen in 2015 and is currently working with "Israel" to establish a military base there.

Recent developments in the Horn of Africa confirm "Israel's" efforts to expand its regional influence through cooperation with Somaliland and the UAE, using these ties for both military and economic purposes.

Since mid-June 2020, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has maintained control over Socotra. Over the years, STC authorities have facilitated Emirati expansion on the island by selling large tracts of land to Emirati companies and granting monopolistic rights over key services such as fuel and electricity.

The airport takeover reflects a wider pattern of UAE efforts to strengthen its geopolitical influence in Yemen, using Socotra as a strategic outpost for military and economic dominance in the region.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, following the Palestinian resistance’s Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, Yemen has declared its steadfast support for Palestine. The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched military operations targeting Israeli-linked ships and striking Israeli targets, vowing to continue until Israel ceases its aggression.