With both Arab countries in a fierce rivalry against Iran-led Axis of Resistance in Persian Gulf developments, they are striving for domination of Red Sea trade and transit routes. Riyadh wants this domination for oil exports in case of Strait of Hormuz blockade and Abu Dhabi has already understood importance of the Red Sea through creating Bab-el-Mandeb Strait access.
The UAE, which separated its way from Saudi Arabia in the middle of the Yemen war, seeks to separate southern Yemen from the mainland and bring it under its control. In order to advance its economic plans, the UAE has reached out to the Israelis, and in the past two years, under the name of tourism, it brought the Israelis to Socotra Island, which is rich with mineral resources. Local sources reported in recent days that a number of Israeli engineers and pilots have arrived in Socotra to construct a runway for reconnaissance and attack helicopters. The UAE had previously opened an airport on this island with the help of the Israeli regime. In the past years, the UAE has renovated a number of joint military bases and centers it shares with Tel Aviv in Socotra with the aim of developing intelligence operations with the Israelis on the coast of Yemen, especially near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. This plan is a part of the "Middle East Air Shield", which was supposed to deal with Iranian missiles and drones with the participation of Arab states. Failed to implement their initiative as a collective alliance, the Israelis are trying to realize their anti-Iranian plans via bilateral pacts with Arab states.
Socotra is the largest island in Yemen, which together with five other islands forms the Socotra archipelago in the Indian Ocean. During the past years, the UAE made many efforts to gain a foothold in these areas, and after several rounds of clashes with the forces loyal to the resigned President Mansour Hadi and the Saudi coalition, it deployed its military forces on this island. Socotra was previously in the hands of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups and was considered a serious threat to the interests of Abu Dhabi, so the UAE tried in every way to remove its ruler and take control of this area unchallenged. Since Socotra is an island and is hundreds of kilometers away from Sana'a, the UAE is carrying out its evil plans in association with Tel Aviv without being disturbed by Ansarullah, the main movement holding the capital Sana'a and much of the north. With an area of 3,796 square kilometers, Socotra is a very important island. It is located at the mouth to the Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandab and plays a vital role in the transportation of goods and oil between the western and eastern hemispheres. That is why the UAE is struggling to occupy it.
Israeli goals in southern Yemen
Although it is the UAE that paved the way for Israeli regime's toehold in Yemen's south, Tel Aviv has its own plans. It does much of its business via the Red Sea and therefore it finds pivotal securing the region and domination of Bab-el-Mandeb. With Bab-el-Mandeb and west coast currently held by Ansarullah, the Israelis seek to wrest them from the movement with the help of the Emirates to enhance security for their ships.
The Israelis cannot tolerate Bab-el-Mandab being held by an Iran ally as Ansarullah blames not only the aggression countries but also the Israeli regime for the crimes against the Yemeni people and in the future it will increase the threats against Tel Aviv interests.
Another important point is that Tel Aviv, seeing Iran as its archenemy, intends to watch Iranian activities and take actions if needed by stationing its reconnaissance and military forces on Socotra island. In other words, deployment of drones to the island is meant to spy on Iran. By establishing its presence in southern Yemen, the Israeli regime is trying to break out of intelligence and military isolation to improve its deterrence to the Axis of Resistance.
The UAE is reportedly paying for housing units for the Israeli officers and experts who are arriving at the common military bases. This raises warnings that Socotra will take the face of Israeli settlements and waves of immigration to the island are expected with Arab-Israeli normalization.
Entrusting security to Washington and Tel Aviv
In addition to the UAE that is carrying out its colonial projects in southern Yemen through starting cooperation with the Israelis, Saudi Arabia is working with the US and Britain towards its ambitious policies in Yemen. In recent months, Americans arrived in Al-Mahra and Hadhrahmaut provinces in eastern Yemen. These provinces are of paramount importance for the Saudis and Americans as they are oil and gas-rich. If they fall to the Saudis, Ansarullah will lose their energy resources and Washington and Riyadh on the opposite side will make huge profits by plundering their resources.
An important point that can be mentioned in relation to the goals of Abu Dhabi and Riyadh behind bringing the Israelis and the Americans to Yemen is that since UAE and Saudi Arabia are powerless against Ansarullah's missile attacks and cannot defend themselves, with the establishment of American and Israeli presence in the southern and eastern regions of Yemen, they try to counter these attacks with the help of Washington and Tel Aviv and entrust their security to their allies.
Ansarullah officials have repeatedly warned about the conspiracy and official agreement of the Arab coalition countries and said that Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia intend to hand over Yemen to the Israeli regime and its Western supporters in exchange for the fulfillment of some of their demands. But in the meantime, the Yemenis have the support of the Axis of Resistance that can help them grab the calm from the aggression countries. As Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Lebanon's Hezbollah, has repeatedly said in his speeches that this movement stands by the Yemeni people and will support them against the aggressors. Ansarullah, which is now considered part of the Resistance camp, has strengthened its relations with Hezbollah. Ansarullah's long-range missiles can easily target the Israeli territories in addition to the territory of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and in case of a conflict between the Resistance forces and the Israeli regime, Ansarullah and Hezbollah can inflict heavy blows on Tel Aviv from two fronts.
The Israeli presence and activity in southern Yemen is part of occupational projects to bring under control Arab states and confront Iranian regional influence. But the closer the Israelis move to the Iranian borders the worse the regional circumstances will grow. This can intensify Tehran-Tel Aviv tensions and the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies that entrust their security to the Israelis will suffer mostly.
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