By Herb Scribner

There’s a new mysterious airbase being built on a volcanic island off the coast of Yemen, and it rests “in one of the world’s crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo,” according to The Associated Press.

• The base — which is located on Mayun Island — would give the base an opportunity to “easily launch airstrikes into mainland Yemen,” The Associated Press reports.
• The base appears to have a runway of about 6,070 feet, which “can accommodate attack, surveillance and transport aircraft,” according to The Associated Press.

Who built the base?

No country has claimed the base as its own yet, according to reports.

However, officials with Yemen’s government suggested the United Arab Emirates is building the runway. The same officials told The Associated Press that UAE ships had “transported military weapons, equipment and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks.”

• There reportedly has been rising tension between the UAE and Yemen, specifically around the agreement about who owns Mayun Island, where the base is located.

Jeremy Binnie, the Middle East editor at intelligence company Janes, said the base might have been in the works for awhile, according to Al Jazeera.

• “This does seem to be a longer-term strategic aim to establish a relatively permanent presence,” he said.
• It’s “possibly not just about the Yemen war and you’ve got to see the shipping situation as fairly key there,” he said.

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