evidence: The incident is reminiscent of a similar episode in late August 2020. At the time, online media spoke of Israeli-Emirati activities on the island of Socotra, a remote territorial outpost of Yemen located 340 kilometers south of Yemen and 100 kilometers off the Horn of Africa. While there is no confirmation of plans for a spy base, from which maritime traffic in the Indian Ocean could be conveniently monitored, Issa Salem bin Yaqut warned in September 2020 that Yemen’s sovereign rights were being undermined. The head of the Socotra tribes was referring to the UAE’s activities to gain a military foothold in the shadow of the Southern Transitional Council (STS) – which took control of the island in mid-2020 – and, on the other hand, to tie the island more closely to the UAE, as recently reported by France24 and Responsible Statecraft.