Saudis: Coalition kit on Yemen island where base being built

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen on Thursday acknowledged having equipment on an island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait where a mysterious air base is now under construction.

However, the coalition’s statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency did not name who was building the facility across the volcanic island of Mayun, the subject of recent reporting by The Associated Press.

The statement said the equipment, which it did not identify, helps the coalition back Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who now hold the country’s capital, Sanaa.

The statement said the United Arab Emirates, which remains a coalition member after largely withdrawing from the war in 2019, was “providing air support in defense” of the Yemeni city of Marib, the target of an ongoing Houthi offensive. The statement called any claim of Emirati troops on Mayun “baseless and unfounded.”

The AP reporting, based in part on satellite photos of the island, showed the construction of a 1.85 kilometer (6,070-foot) runway on the island. Shipping data links the Emirates to an earlier, abandoned effort to build a runway there.

A mysterious air base is seen being built on Yemen's volcanic Mayun Island in this April 11, 2021, satellite photograph from Planet Labs Inc. (Planet Labs Inc. via AP)

Military officials with Yemen’s internationally recognized government told the AP that Emirati ships transported military weapons, equipment and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks for this latest construction. The AP reports did not mention any Emirati troop presence on the island.

The Saudi statement comes after rising anger from Yemeni officials over the air base being built on Mayun. The UAE has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

阿联酋迪拜——周四，在也门作战的沙特领导的联军承认，他们在曼德海峡的一个岛屿上拥有装备，而一个神秘的空军基地目前正在该岛屿上建设。

然而，该联盟通过沙特官方通讯社发表的声明并未指明是谁在火山岛马云上建造该设施，而美联社最近对此进行了报道。

声明称，这些未指明的装备将帮助联军支持也门国际公认的政府对抗伊朗支持的胡塞武装，胡塞武装目前控制着也门首都萨那。

声明称，阿联酋在2019年基本退出也门战争后，仍是联军成员，目前正在为胡塞武装持续进攻的目标——也门城市马里卜提供空中支援。声明还称，任何关于阿联酋军队占领马云的说法都“毫无根据”。

美联社的报道部分基于该岛的卫星照片，显示岛上正在修建一条1.85公里（6070英尺）长的跑道。航运数据显示，阿联酋此前也曾试图在该岛修建一条跑道，但最终放弃了。

这张由 Planet Labs Inc. 于 2021 年 4 月 11 日拍摄的卫星照片显示，也门火山岛马云岛上正在建造一座神秘的空军基地。（Planet Labs Inc. 通过美联社提供）

也门国际公认政府的军方官员告诉美联社，最近几周，阿联酋船只向马云岛运送了军事武器、装备和部队，用于这项最新的建设工程。美联社的报道没有提及阿联酋军队在岛上的存在。

沙特阿拉伯发表声明之前，也门官员对在马云修建空军基地的举动日益愤怒。阿联酋尚未回应多次置评请求。