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Israel and the United Arab Emirates are going to create a military intelligence-gathering infrastructure on Yemen’s Socotra Island, according to Arab and French sources.
The 3,650km2 island, located south of the Yemeni mainland in the Indian Ocean, overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The straight is a sea route chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. Most exports of oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal or the SUMED Pipeline pass through both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the start of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, the UAE, formally a Saudi ally, and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a Yemeni separatist movement that is formally allied with the Saudi-backed government in Aden, have established control over most of Socotra Island. For years, the UAE has been seeking to annex the island due to its strategic location. The collapse of the Yemeni statehood due to the years-long instability and the foreign intervention paved a way for more direct actions. The creation of a military infrastructure there is a logical step in this strategy.
According to reports, a delegation of Israeli and UAE officers recently visited the island and examined several locations for establishing the planned intelligence facilities. Earlier in August, the UAE and Israel with assistance from the United States reached a historical peace agreement relaunching diplomatic, economic and even military cooperation between the states on the highest level. The security and military cooperation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait was among the expected goals.
Arab and Iranian media allege that in 2016 Israel started building an intelligence-gathering base at the top of Mount Ambassaira, south of the Eritrean capital of Asmara. The base, according to reports, is designed to monitor the conflict in Yemen, as well as the naval situation in the region, including movements of Iranian naval forces.
The UAE, thanks to its support to the Southern Transitional Council, has already changed the balance of power in southern Yemen to its favor. If, additionally to this, Abu Dhabi succeeds in turning the Socotra Island into its outpost, the UAE will have all chances to shift the balance of power to its own favor even further.
The Emirati leadership has been slowly but steadily taking an upper hand in the diplomatic, military and economic competition with the Saudi Kingdom, which has so far suffered most of negative consequences, including direct strikes on its territory, from the conflict with Yemen’s Houthis. The peace agreement and security, military cooperation with Israel will also contribute to this scenario.
The tactical UAE-Israeli-US alliance has all chances to compete with the expanding Iranian influence in the region. Saudi Arabia, which for years was the key US ally against Iran, has been left outside of this plan. And this is very bad news for the Kingdom, which is passing through a deep economic and political crisis complicated by the barely successful invasion of Yemen.
Something that should have been done long time ago, better late than never. I hope KSA is the next to sign a peace deal with us, for the safety of the region.
If peace didn’t entail genocide against all non-Sunnis, I’d be fine with everyone having a peace deal.
You can thank Iran for that, they made Israel and the Sunni ME countries work closely together due to their actions against us, KSA, UAE and the U.S in the region. Also let’s not forget Jordan and Egypt which have a good security cooperation with us.
you can not be serious!? Arabs hate your guts and wouldn’t offer you camel’s piss for drink let alone to “cooperate” with you! those Zionist Arab regimes will fall soon you deluded shithead
Who so mad? you lost in the war accept it. Also I thought you blocked me like you promised, lying too now are we?
I have decided to unblock everybody. If I have promised you to stay blocked forever than I lied obviously because I just forgot that have ever talked to you on that subject and that I have promised anything to anybody
Do you want me to block you again? Suite yourself …it all the same to me… Blocked or un-blocked you are same asshole and lunatic having argument with 30 people that doesn’t like you….don’t you have something else to do in life, that makes sense, for fuck sake?
I’m here to write my own truth and what I believe in, you can disagree with me and I would accept that but only if you talk to me with respect. I would show you respect aswell, but it takes two for it. I have 112 blocked persons at my list at the moment (not all of them are from SF) and I don’t hesitate to block people who disrespect me or using anti semitism towards Jews. Regarding what you wrote, the pressure on Iran will just get stronger now with the new alliances that are formed across the ME.
I don’t care
I just have said what I had to say to you… but I don’t care if you accept it or not ….or something else
Okay.
two fucktarts arguing, hilarious
Hey coward how are stuff? Do you want get some rough on rough?
Islamophobia cannot defeat Iran. It only poisons the hater. Shalom.
>I’m here to write my own truth
I’ve been watching you lie for months, please stop the b.s about ‘truth’
I don’t take you seriously anyway Traiano, the bullshit is all yours mate.
Come on, you can do better than that!
Aww … little pussy cat
YOU want an echo chamber?
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Genocide against all Muslims all non Wahhabis.
Sunni Islam is the major source of terrorism in the middle east.
What’s the issue …. ?
INTEL on Iran’s malign ways / vessels will be monitored more closely … eh?
Shipping weapons to Houthis … et al will be curtailed … eh?
The Clampdown is underway …
Try to keep up. Yemen has been “hermetically sealed” by US, EU, Saudi blockade for a decade so much so that food does not even come in via the ocean and yet weapons are found.
What makes you think setting up a big fat target on Socotra will change that?
Especially since Socotra has not yet been under Houthi / Iranian control … Yet.
Now the israelis and their uae partners want to turn it into a target for the Houthi and Iran, which will deliver no more SIGINT that any surveillance ships and drones that are already there ? Really dumb.
Socotra can provide no more intelligence than the hundreds of drones, spy ships, sattellites etc … already in the area, which have proven useless at preventing the Houthi or Iran from obtaining weapons.
Hermetically sealed? BUT … you’ve admitted that’s NOT the case
Try to keep up …
The Israelis bring their own ‘secret sauce’ to the table … it seems to work whenever and wherever they confront Arabs
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Read properly. Hermetically sealed via the ocean. I made no reference to other avenues …
Try to keep up.
Oh yes? The ‘magic secret sauce’. The ‘We don’t know wtf we’re doing but we’ll figure it out’ sauce …
I also have secret sauce and pixie dust that can work wonders.
That ‘sauce’ seems to work … eh?
I think I know what this ‘sauce’ is you’re referring to.
It’s called “American Taxpayer Dollars”
And no, it hasn’t worked: israel requires the full might of a superpower to simply maintain a tiny strip of land.
Without Uncle Sam working tirelessly keeping israel on life support it would fall apart in a week.
Keeping the zionist parasite alive is sucking the lifeblood out of the USA.
Aww … poor Iranian Jihadi … your world is collapsing and you blame $$$$ / the Jews? lol
You’re finished …. your Jihadi dreams will be spoiled by the Jews/Zionists/Israelis …. eh?
Your head will explode like Soleimani’s
The main reason for rapprochement between Israel and the Arab countries is the mullahs regime . It turns out that the Arabs hate the Iranians much more than they love the Palestinians. Soon there will also be Israeli INTELLIGENCE BASES in the Persian Gulf. Then the rate of mysterious explosions in Iran will increase.
ignorant racist–500,000 fluent Farsi speakers live in UAE—the trade w Iran is huge
This shows how smart the UAEs are. Keep your enemies close. But there is no way people like you can understand that.
On the contrary, this shows extreme stupidity.
Keeping your enemies close while making new enemies of people who can destroy you in 1 hour is the height of idiocy. Now the UAE have annoyed Iran and the Houthi – both of who can ring the UAE economy down within a day with just a handful of missiles.
Anyone who compares Iran and the UAE clearly sees who is smart and who is stupid. Who used the oil money wisely and created a leading and advanced economy and who became a failed and isolated country. The enemy of the UAE is the mullahs regime. Iran cannot afford to harm its fourth-largest trading partner. No one believes the threats and the fantasy talk of the mullahs regime. But the more Iran threaten, the Israel’s military presence in the Gulf will grow.
Are they Arab businessmen?
germs like nethanyahoo should keep their facemasks on 24/7
more Arab fiefdom Israeli unintelligence
Fascists: USA / UAE / SA / Israel
So … which countries aren’t fascist in your opinion?
A short list will do?
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How does that change the fact that Israel is deep in bed with medieval barbaric non-democracies? His point still stands.
His words are meaningless … that’s all
Fascist = those he disagrees with … he has NO POINT except hating the enemy …
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Those are fascistic states. Israel is in bed with them. The logic is pretty clear. Try to keep up.
So YOU can’t name them outright … got it
What are you talking about? He just named them.
Try to keep up.
Try to keep up? lol
Which countries AREN’T FASCIST? Dimwit
Twit.
How is this relevant? Another opportunity for you to segway into your usual tactic of deflection ?
Deflection is what you’ve done Jihadi jr
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The fascistic states were named. Are you deliberately stupid or born that way?
Fascist = those states you despise
YOUR stupid game is over … teenage Jihadi
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I think Toronto Tonto or whatever its name was has returned to life , reincarnating in this account. I suggest to save your time, don’t wrestle the pig.
Man this site attracts too much trolls for its small size of audience and budget. What’s going on?
Echo Chamber is what you want?
Stick to Reddit …
>Stick to Reddit …
You should take your own advice.
lol
YOU added the term ‘non-democracies’ … lol
Which countries aren’t ’barbaric fascists’?
Try to keep up? pmsl
Indeed I did – what’s the issue with that?
How is that relevant? Another opportunity for you to segway into deflection as is your usual tactic?
Indeed. Do try to keep up.
‘non-democracies’ = deflection
Jihadi jr ….
Yemenis are forwarding in offensive, you can do thi or that but it won’t save your Wahhabi asses.
Lovely. A nice fat target for Houthi missiles. Nice of the enemy to bring himself in range …
Two words:
Iron Dome
On Socotra? Are you senile?
If there are Israelis and UAE located there … yes
Senility?
Only the senile would place expensive infrastructure in a location where it will soon be destroyed or captured.
Iron Dome is a smoke an mirrors machine:
– Never been tested against serious attacks by a capable opponent – just hobby rockets. – Dubious performance against hobbyist level rockets firing from constrained directions – Expensive to rearm to begin with – let alone rearming on an island with a long supply line …
– Real risk of capture when Socotra eventually gets captured by the Houthi. You might have noticed Houthis are good at capturing enemy equipment (they follow Maos doctrine of living off the enemy.)
Even if it worked hypothetically, it would be useless for protecting operations on Socotra, which is a dumb idea because placing operations there provides:
– Targets on the sea when supply ships go in and out
– Targets in the air when supply flights go in an out – Of course any installations remain a target, including any supposed ‘Iron Dome’
What kind of stupidity would pile expensive air defense systems on an island ripe for capture in the center of enemy territory is beyond me …
And we have not yet even BEGUN to discuss the risks to the UAE of getting involved in occupying Socotra when the Houthi can strike al the way to their glass towers in Dubai …
And we have not even begun to discuss the stupidity of Israel inviting conflict with the Houthi on top of all their other problems. Believe me, you do not want to the Houthi to take it into their heads to start striking at Israel with determination, this is their slogan:
“Allah is Greater, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam”
All the more reason for the UAE to get into ‘bed’ with Israel …
the Houthis don’t have a ‘doctrine’ they’re scavengers …
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If they want to be destroyed by their own stupidity, yes.
They have a clear doctrine. It is written on their banner. Do read it.
The Houthis are not Israel’s issue … the Muslim slogan is meaningless … a typically hyperbolic boast … by f/kn Jihadis … I laugh at their boastful bs
It certainly is if israel plans to get involved in Socotra. Meaningless to you, who are irrelevant. Meaningful to the Houthi, who seem VERY inspired by it.
Islamist inspiration? lol
They’re dead men walking …
Inspiration – one way or another. So are you and your fellow zionist trolls.
Jihadis are going to be dying in ever increasing numbers …. at the hands of Arabs
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Your statement is essentially nonsense from a logical and rational point of view.
However, let me state a fact: The people you characterise as ‘Jihadis’ are in actual fact resistance fighters engaged in legitimate resistance to foreign aggression.
Next.
Jihadis … are scum
As the Israelis are putting out fires in the southern Arabian peninsula, Syria and Iraq are consolidating their sovereignty, and they will emerge stronger and consolidated. Lebanon will soon join Syria and Iraq. If Iraqis can bury the axe with Iran, Saudis can bury the axe on their monarchy.
Syria & Iraq consolidating? pmsl
To be joined by Lebanon? LMAO
3 X 0 = 0
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Next one on Socotra pls
Sure, now everyone wants gear on Socotra. Israel and the UAE wouldn’t be the first. The US has been there for years with our own ‘secret’ area surveillance radar up in the mountain – A/N SPY-4 or something.. They just added a contingent of marines and a Patriot battery to defend the secret radar.
We probably made an agreement (bribe) with Hadi at first, then had to bribe the STC when they looked like the new owners of Socotra. Nobody wants to commit to permanent occupation or radar sites until a stable, friendly side takes it over. That was suppose to be the incompetent Saudis and their lapdog Hadi, but no luck there. UAE was always cozy with STC and could defend the place. They booted the Saudis out a month ago without a peep from the King or his henchman, so it looks like KSA has given it up. The UAE isn’t capable of running the high-end stuff, so they must be augmenting the existing U.S. capability with Israeli equipment.
The only problem I forsee: the radar installation is on the highest mountain ridge on the island. Mountains… Houthis…. yeah, I think I know how this one will end if the Houthis are motivated.
the Greeks took over Troy using a wooden horse, Israel took over the Middle East using donkey Arab leaders
The most evil creatures are the wahhabis and the most coward too and these fat gcc sheikh doms arab traitors bastards are the best example