Since 2016, Israel has secretly established a forward electronic intelligence base in Eritrea to monitor the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which much of the Gulf’s oil shipments travel on their way to customers throughout the world.
This base, located on the country’s highest mountain, Emba Soira, outside the country’s capital, Asmara, monitors activities of the Houthi rebels in Yemen fighting against UAE and Saudi Arabia. Further, it also serves as a command and control center for Gulf air force attacks in Yemen. It is a means of ensuring that Egypt would never threaten Israeli interests in the southern portion of the Red Sea, especially movement of its shipping. The base also enables Israel to monitor arms trafficking in Sudan for the benefit of Hamas. Finally, it serves as a forward base to monitor Iranian shipping, and that country’s efforts to penetrate Eritrea, after it was ejected from Sudan following the overthrow of its dictator, Omar al Bashir.
The Israeli article linked above notes a second secret Israeli base planned in the Gulf. After the recent normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE, both states are eyeing a base on the Yemeni island of Socotra. According to a Turkish report, the Yemeni tribal chief of the island told a Syrian media outlet about a recent joint visit by a senior Israeli-UAE intelligence delegation tasked with choosing sites for a new military intelligence base. According to Intelligence Online, the Yemenite militant group allied with UAE, which has occupied the island for the past four months, was not happy with the Israeli presence and made its displeasure known to its patrons.
As in Eritrea, Socotra is mountainous and offers locations advantageous for siting electronic (SIGINT) intelligence facilities. Though the island chain is under Yemeni sovereignty, UAE took control of the territory and maintains a military presence there.
Among other things, the base will permit Israel to monitor shipping between Iran and China. After signing a $400-billion 25-year military-commercial pact, China is expected to provide llogistics, advanced technology and weapons systems to Iran, much of which would travel through these waters, providing an excellent vantage point from which to observe the sea traffic.
Socotra would be Israel’s second major intelligence base in the region and a further example of its attempt to project its power far beyond its southern borders (Israel already projects its power beyond its northern borders into Syria, Lebanon and even Iraq). This is, of course, ironic since one of the main claims against Iran is its purported “expansionist” aims to project its Islamist revolution beyond its border into Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Israel has long preceded Iran in this game. And its hypocrisy in accusing the Iranians of doing precisely what it has done for decades, is immense.
In a separate development related to UAE-Israel normalization, Intelligence Online reports that the Gulf state is lobbying its own allies in the region to join it in forging relations with Israel. Among those negotiating for such a deal are the Yemeni movement supported by UAE, Libya’s militia leader, Khalifa Haftar, and Mohammed Dahlan, the former Palestinian strongman who has become one of the UAE Crown Prince’s senior security advisor.
These are not the most savory characters in the region. But that doesn’t seem to put off Israel’s own unsavory leaders, who never met an Arab dictator they didn’t like. All they need to find favor with Israel is an authoritarian regime, lots of petro-cash, and a hankering for Israeli weapons and spy technology.
The more quality intelligence Israel collects, the better she will be able to make strategic and tactical decisions that ensure peace and stability in the region.
We don’t want a regional superpower lurching around in the dark, do we?
Richard, however odious the KSA and UAE may be to you, what alternatives does Israel have?
Who would you like Israel’s Arab friends to be?
Just name them?
@ Scarabian: You’ve put the cart before the horse. Israel does not deserve an Arab “friends” till it becomes a country integrated into the region and a society based on justice. So become a full democracy, either create a fully sovereign Palestinian state or create a unitary state with Palestinians & Jews enjoying full equality. Then Israel will integrate fully into the region. Then it will not have to curry favor with shady dictators and base its commercial worth on being an agent of death to the world.
Israel does not collect intelligence in order to defend itself. It collects intelligence in order to project its power and dominance in the region. Much like the claims it makes against Iran.
Israel will only be able to be accepted in the region when it identifies itself as a Middle Eastern nation. At present the Ashkenazi dominant government in Israel calls itself “European,” disdaining even its own Mizrakhi citizens. Jews have been a part of the Middle East since before Islam, and returning to that identification will be the most positive move for Israeli politicians. Until then Israel will continue to be seen as an American/European outpost.
I don’t understand,
You accuse Israel of being hyprocritical for collecting intelligence on countries that don’t recognise it? Would you rather it didn’t? What kind of a Jew are you?
If the current regime threatens Israel and funds her enemies like Hizbullah, then you can’t blame Israel for collecting intelligence.
The Arabs are realising they can’t destroy Israel now, that is why they seek to make peace, and because they think Jews control America and they feel threatened by Iran.
I hope Israel is smart enough not to trust the Arabs and to realise that they only reluctantly want peace with Israel to use her spy and military equipment against Iran. I hope Israel takes care of her own back or poor Israel may end up being used: arming the Arabs, who then turn on her.
Soon, inshallah, a time will come when the Mullah regime will fall, and Iran too will put its arms around Israel and we will have a warm loving relationship, just like Jews and Iranians in the past. I fully support Zionism and a Jewish state.
@ Trimi: We’ve got either an Iranian monarchist or an MeK toady among us today. No self respecting Iranian would chant the praises of a Judeo-fascist regime. The fact that you are doing so tells us all we need to know about you.
And don’t you dare question my Jewishness. Don’t even go there. I’ll block you so fast your head will spin if you try that again.
The “Arabs” are making peace with Israel because they hate Iran more than they hate Israel. Plain and simple. Israel is a useful tool in the war on Iran. Just as the Arab dictators are useful tools in Israel’s war on Iran and the Palestinians.
You are so full of crap and your motives are so questionable that I’m moderating you in case you decide to try to comment here again.
@Trimi
From history … Jewish State of Israel and love for Iranians through SAVAK … the occupation of US Embassy in Tehran revealed most embarrassing support for institutional violence by Mossad and CIA.
https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1913&context=jil
Hello Oui
The Savak was part of the Shah’s regime, which was as fanatical about secularism as the Mullah’s are about enforcing Islamism. Both systems were/are wrong, and is not really what Iranians want. What we want is a Muslim country that supports secular rule but respects Islam. Like Israel is a Jewish state that respects all religions. There is no Arab country that has the kind of freedom of religion that Israel has. So hopefully, the Arabs can learn from Israel.
What I was talking about was the relations between Jews and Iranians thorughout history which have generally been warm and supportive. That does not mean that there were never any crimes or sins, or that individual Jews may not harbour anti Iranian sentiment sometimes, or that individual Iranians may not be antisemtic.
I look foward to Iran and Israel becoming close friends, inshallah.
@ Trimi: Israel “respects all religions?” In what universe are you? THere is no “freedom of religion” in Israel unless you are a Jew. Nor is there freedom from religion as there is in most democratic countries.
Hello Richard,
You berate me for questioning your Jewishness, but then you question my Iranianness by saying ‘no self respecting Iranian would sing the praises of Israel’. You are generalising, and I could retort, ‘no self resepcting Jew would say what you say’. By the way, you didn’t use the double quotes properly so I don’t know where your quote ends and where it begins.
As for freedom of religion, what do you mean? Muslims in Israel have Shariah law and their own courts. The Christians have their own and the Bahai’s admire Israel too.
You keep comparing Israel to an ungodly country like the USA which is not a Christian country. It is a godless republic. Israel is a Jewish state. The UK is a Christian country, with a democratic parliament. Israel is more like the UK in this respect.
YOu should compare Israel to the countries in the Middle East not America. It is not a fair comparison because it is a Jewish state, and whether you like it or not, most Israelis want that, and that is what it should be.
Thank you. Please don’t abuse your power, I know you can block me, but show some respect for free speech and prove it by not blocking me. Thank you.
@ Trimni:
You attempted to discredit my religious identity. I did not discredit your religious identity. Being Jewish Is not a national identity. It is a cultural and religious identity. You’ve confused the two.
As for your national identity: yes, you are a former Iranian who is in a distinct minority. Either you support MeK, which is a terror cult which has no support in Iran; or you are a monarchiste, which also has no support within Iran. Which makes you a discarded non-entity attempting to pass yourself as a credible representative of Iran.
You know nothing about religious freedom in Israel. There is none for non-Jews. First, Israeli Muslims cannot name their own clergy. The State approves their clergy. That is not religious freedom. And if the State disapproves of a Muslim cleric, it simply throws him in prison.
Further, Judeo fascist settlers routinely desecrate Muslim schools, cemeteries and mosques. Israeli police routinely invade the 3rd holiest shrine in all of Islam. Do Iranian authorities invade Iranian Jewish synagogues and shrines? No.
As for Christian freedom of worship, they fare only slightly better: but Judeo fascist thugs whose patrons sit in the Knesset and are ministers in government, routinely burn down or deface churches. While those same Judeo fascist thugs “bought” property of the Greek church through fraud and are ethically cleansing it and turning it into a Judeo-fascist settlement in Jerusalem.
So much for freedom of religion in Israel.
Israel is not a Jewish state. It is a state based on pagan idolatry: the worship of stones and bones. That is not Judaism. Judaism is based on principles of justice and tolerance for all. Not based on hatred and violence.
The UK is a democratic country. The only thing “Christian” about the British state is that it has a state religion. But that religion does not dominate political affairs of state as it does in Israel.
I’m afraid that Israel lives in the Middle East, not in North America or Europe. So it will have to figure out how to live in its region, rather than any region where you would prefer it be located.
The troubles of the region are not solely due to the inhabitants themselves. But rather to the colonial powers which ruled them for decades and sowed hate and division in order to perpetuate their rule. Much of the dysfunction in states like Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria are due to the impact of colonial rule.
You are done in this thread. Do not publish another comment here. You may, if you choose, publish in other threads. Not in this one.
The fact that Israel has base in Eritrea is a lie and rumor re urgitated by multiple news outlets and you have simply put it as a fact and its a shame this is what you can do at best to defame. Very childish and irresponsible.
You’ll have to take it up with the Israeli intelligence website (linked in the post) which reported this. I based my story on a credible source. You based your claim on… What? Yourself? Read the comment rules. Claims like yours must be based on real and credible sources. Not personal whim.
[comment deleted: You may comment only once in each thread. I warned you of this . You ignored the warning. Don’t.]
@Richard
Re: Your comment to Trimi
An example why I’ll always be here to read your articles … great insight and so much patience with your readers/bloggers.
@ Oui: Thanks. I probably devote more time to the comment threads than most bloggers for precisely that reason.