ADEN (Debriefer)--The southern transitional council has come under pressure by Abu Dhabi to agree to the establishment of a UAE-Israeli spy base on Yemen's Socotra archipelago, a US news website has reported.
The arrival of a UAE-Israeli military delegation in Socotra in August angered leaders of the council, including senior leader Salim Abdullah Al-Socotri who officially condemned the visit of the Israeli officers, the Intelligence website said.
Late last month, the South Front Website quoted Arab and French sources as saying that the UAE and Israel were planning to build intelligence facilities in Socotra, the largest island in the archipelago.
UAE and Israeli officers arrived and examined several locations in the island for establishing the facilities, the website said.
The collapse of the Yemeni state has paved the way for the two countries to launch the project and keep Saudi Arabia out of the plan, it added.
Separately, a government official revealed that four UAE flights landed in the island in August, carrying military experts from European countries, Ukraine and the UAE, according to Aljazeera TV.
The UAE is building a large military base in a strategic location west of the island which overlooks other islands in the archipelago and a military camp in the eastern part.
Forces of the UAE-backed southern transitional council took over Socotra in June after clashes with government forces.
