A clandestine airstrip under construction on Yemen’s volcanic Zuqar Island in the Red Sea signals a bold escalation against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, satellite imagery reveals. Likely spearheaded by forces aligned with the anti-Houthi coalition, this nearly 2,000-meter runway strengthens a network of strategic bases in a region critical to global shipping. With the Houthis having attacked over 100 ships, sunk four, and killed nine mariners amid the Israel-Hamas war, the airstrip could enable aerial surveillance over the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint for a third of the world’s container traffic.

Construction on Zuqar, located 90 kilometers southeast of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida, began in April with a new dock, followed by land clearing and asphalt paving by late August, according to Planet Labs PBC images analyzed by The Associated Press. By October, runway markings were visible, though no party has claimed ownership. Maritime data points to the Togolese-flagged Batsa, linked to a Dubai-based firm, delivering asphalt from Somaliland’s Berbera port. Saif Shipping and Marine Services, also Dubai-based, confirmed supplying materials for UAE clients, mirroring patterns in prior Emirates-linked runway projects in Yemen, such as those in Mocha, Dhubab, Abd al-Kuri, and Mayun Island, the latter controlled by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council.

The airstrip’s purpose remains murky, as the UAE and Yemen’s fragmented anti-Houthi factions declined to comment. Despite intense U.S. and Israeli airstrikes under Operation Rough Rider targeting Houthi leadership, the coalition has struggled to launch unified ground assaults. However, recent successes in intercepting Houthi-bound weapons shipments suggest Zuqar’s strategic value. “A UAE-backed airstrip here could enhance monitoring off Hodeida, bolstering efforts to curb Houthi arms smuggling,” said Eleonora Ardemagni, a Yemen expert at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. She downplayed an imminent offensive, noting, “A Saudi-led push isn’t on the horizon, but disrupting smuggling is the priority.”

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Zuqar’s history is steeped in conflict. Seized by Eritrea in 1995, it was returned to Yemen in 1998 via international arbitration. The Houthis captured it in 2014 during their southward push from Sanaa, only for Saudi-UAE forces to retake it in 2015 for Tariq Saleh, a UAE-supported commander and nephew of Yemen’s late leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh, once a Houthi ally, turned against them after his uncle’s killing. The island now serves as a naval hub for his forces, amplifying its role in countering Houthi maritime threats.

The Houthis’ Red Sea attacks, undeterred by U.S.-Israeli bombardments, underscore their resilience. “Insurgents like the Houthis thrive by enduring,” wrote Yemen analyst Gregory D. Johnsen in June. While anti-Houthi groups have seized significant weapons hauls, including one hailed by U.S. Central Command, their disunity hampers broader campaigns. Zuqar’s airstrip, however, could shift the dynamic, offering a platform to choke the rebels’ supply lines. As global trade routes remain under threat, this mysterious project signals a calculated move to tighten the noose around the Houthis’ shadowy network.

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