Ahmed Kamel -Egypt Daily News
Satellite imagery has revealed the construction of a new airstrip on Yemen’s Zuqar Island, a volcanic outpost in the Red Sea that has become increasingly strategic amid the ongoing conflict with the country’s Houthi rebels. Analysts say the project is likely tied to forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has quietly expanded its network of bases across the region as the Houthis face growing military and economic pressure.
The nearly 2,000-meter (6,560-foot) runway, visible in high-resolution images captured by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed, is located about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida, a vital hub for both shipping and smuggling operations. The photos show construction progressing steadily since April, when a dock was first built on the island. By late August, what appeared to be asphalt had been laid, and by October, runway markings were visible.
No group has claimed responsibility for the project, but maritime tracking data points to involvement by UAE-linked firms. A Togolese-flagged cargo ship registered to a Dubai-based company spent nearly a week docked at Zuqar after sailing from Berbera in Somaliland a port operated by the UAE’s DP World. A separate Dubai shipping company confirmed it had delivered asphalt to the island on behalf of other Emirati firms.
The UAE has been associated with similar construction efforts across the region. New or expanded runways have appeared in Mocha, Dhubab, and Mayun Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as well as on Abd al-Kuri Island in the Indian Ocean. These airstrips, many of them linked to the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council or to forces loyal to Tariq Saleh, have effectively established a network of outposts stretching from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Strategic Red Sea Foothold
Zuqar Island’s location gives it exceptional military value. It sits near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden through which roughly 10% of global trade passes. From Zuqar, aircraft could monitor shipping routes, track smuggling operations, and conduct surveillance deep into Houthi-held territory.
“The construction on Zuqar is significant for countering the Houthis’ smuggling activities, particularly with regard to weapons,” said Eleonora Ardemagni, a Yemen analyst with the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. “A likely Emirati airstrip there could enhance monitoring off the Hodeida coast and better support Yemeni forces.”
The Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks on international vessels since the start of the Israel–Hamas war, sinking four ships and killing at least nine mariners. Their campaign has disrupted one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors and prompted retaliatory strikes by the United States and Israel under Operation Rough Rider, aimed at degrading the rebels’ capabilities.
Despite these strikes, the Houthis remain entrenched in northern Yemen, continuing to project power through missile attacks and maritime raids. “The Houthis, like any insurgent group, win by not losing,” wrote Yemen expert Gregory D. Johnsen earlier this year. “It is how the group has survived and grown from each of its wars.”
A Divided Anti-Houthi Coalition
While the Saudi-led coalition and UAE-backed factions nominally share the goal of defeating the Houthis, their alliances remain fragmented. The internationally recognized Yemeni government, southern separatists, and tribal militias often operate with competing agendas, hampering the coordination needed for a large-scale offensive.
Still, recent months have seen anti-Houthi forces interdict more cargo headed for the rebels, including major weapons shipments praised by U.S. Central Command. The new airstrip could strengthen those efforts by providing a logistical and reconnaissance hub closer to Houthi supply lines.
A Long-Contested Island
Zuqar has a complex history. Eritrea briefly seized the island in 1995 before an international tribunal restored it to Yemen in 1998. It fell under Houthi control in 2014 after the rebels captured the capital, Sanaa, but was retaken a year later by Saudi and Emirati forces supporting Yemen’s exiled government. Since then, the island has served as a forward base for naval units loyal to Tariq Saleh, nephew of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and a key figure in UAE-backed operations.
Although the front lines of Yemen’s war have remained largely static for years, the construction on Zuqar suggests a long-term strategic investment. The airstrip, when completed, could serve as part of a broader regional architecture of surveillance and logistics meant to contain Houthi expansion, curb weapons smuggling, and secure vital maritime routes.
As one regional analyst noted, the project “signals not an imminent offensive, but a quiet tightening of control across the Red Sea a bid to shape the next phase of a war that refuses to end.”
