Yemen: Who occupied the Mayyun island?

The Associated Press recently reported on the construction of an air base on Mayyun Island off the southwestern coast of Yemen, attributing the construction to the UAE. The report cites the movement of trucks and heavy engineering machinery that are building a 1.85-kilometer runway.

Earlier, the Jerusalem Post also reported on January 11, 2021, that the construction of the US-Israeli base on Mayun Island had begun.

• The United States and Israel will occupy an important Yemeni island

Prior to the move, the UAE had built a 5-kilometer runway on the island and completed some of the base’s facilities, which were halted in 2019 due to the withdrawal of UAE troops from direct involvement in the Yemeni war.

Mayyun or Prim Island is a volcanic and Yemeni island that divides the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the entrance to the Red Sea, into two channels: the eastern channel called “Alexander’s Strait” with a width of 3 km and the western channel called “Dact-el-Mayun” with a width of 25 km. It plays a crucial role in controlling maritime traffic in the world. Mayyun Island used to be under the control of the UAE, and now the United States and Israel are plotting to take control of it.

• Israel establishes spy base in Yemen!