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Nighttime deployment of the US Navy in the Red Sea

Photo: Us Central Command / X / REUTERS

Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen continue to target ships off the country's coast. The US is now reporting that four drones were shot down as part of an attack on a US warship in the region. The aircraft were “destroyed” around 2 a.m. local time, the US military Central Command, which is responsible for the region, said on Wednesday evening. There were no injuries or damage.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in order to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis see themselves as part of the “axis of resistance” directed against Israel and supported by Iran, which includes Hamas and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Several Western countries have deployed warships to the region to protect civilian shipping. The Bundeswehr is on site with the frigate “Hessen” as part of the EU naval mission “Aspides”. The Navy had recently reported drone shootings several times.

Mysterious airfield discovered on Yemeni island

Meanwhile, the suspected construction of an airfield on a Yemeni island in the region also raises questions. As the AP news agency reports after analyzing satellite images, an airfield is apparently being built on the island of Abd al-Kuri.

Accordingly, no country is officially responsible for the construction so far, but in the images from space you can see a lettering that was presumably created by embankment, which could indicate the builder. Photos show that the sentence “I LOVE UAE” has been laid out next to a suspected runway.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been militarily involved in Yemen for years as part of a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and is taking action against the Houthis. The Houthis have previously attacked the UAE, with which Yemen does not share a border, with drones.

The island of Abd al-Kuri, which belongs to the Soktora archipelago, is located about 350 kilometers south of the coast of Yemen and is therefore relatively far from the recent Houthi attacks on cargo ships, especially in the Bab al-Mandab strait between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea . Nevertheless, Abd al-Kuri is located off the Horn of Africa in a strategically important location at the eastern exit of the Gulf of Aden.

In response to an AP query, the UAE said only that "any presence in the Socotra Islands, which includes Abd al-Kuri, is based on humanitarian reasons carried out in cooperation with the Yemeni government and local authorities." The country is committed to continuing the process that will lead to a political solution in Yemen and strengthen "security, stability and prosperity," it said.

Yemeni officials did not comment on the island's airfield when contacted by the AP. The US denies involvement in the project and any military presence in Yemen.

According to AP, satellite images from around March 11 also show several vehicles apparently working on a runway. With a length of around three kilometers, fighter jets and heavy bombers could also land on the runway. The first signs of the construction project have been around since the summer of 2022, but according to the AP, the work has been paused at times.

fek/AP/Reuters/AFP