Mysterious Airstrip On Island Off Yemen Might Be Used By US Warplanes

Friday and the overnight hours saw US warplanes significantly ramp up airstrikes on Yemen, with several dozens of strikes on Friday alone, and more through the night and Saturday.

“United States air strikes have hit more than 40 locations across Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including in the capital, Sanaa, according to local media affiliated with the rebel group,” regional media details. Some reports have counted over 70 strikes in the last 24 hours.

Some half of these attacks were on the Tahrir and Qiyada districts of the Yemeni capital, which contain residential neighborhoods. The Sanaa International Airport was also struck for a second night in a row.

The US-led attacks have become nearly non-stop, with dozens killed and many wounded on the ground, after President Trump this week warned that he’s ready to bomb Yemen for “a long time” if the Houthis don’t halt their drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The US President hailed the Yemen operation, which has been ongoing for about two weeks at this point, as “very successful beyond our wildest expectations.” However, there’s been no signs the Houthis intend to halt their own attacks off Yemen’s coast and against Israel.

Al Jazeera has noted that “The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval.”

According to emerging reports of strikes which continued Saturday:

Meanwhile, satellite photos analyzed by the AP show a mysterious airstrip just off Yemen in a key maritime chokepoint now appears ready to accept flights and B-2 bombers within striking distance of the country Saturday.

The strikes into Saturday targeted multiple areas in Yemen under the control of the Iranian-backed Houthis, including the capital, Sanaa, and in the governorates of al-Jawf and Saada, rebel-controlled media reported. The strikes in Saada killed one person and wounded four others, the Houthi-run SABA news agency said.

Times of Israel has reported more on the above-mentioned airstrip as follows:

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show an airstrip now appears ready on Mayun Island, a volcanic outcropping in the center of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.

The images show the airstrip had been painted with the designation markings “09” and “27” to the airstrip’s east and west respectively.

A Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis had acknowledged having “equipment” on Mayun, also known as Perim. However, air and sea traffic to Mayun has linked the construction to the UAE, which backs a secessionist force in Yemen known as the Southern Transitional Council.

So it appears US warplanes can now utilize a ‘local’ airspace under Saudi coalition auspices.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show an airstrip now appears ready on Mayun Island, a volcanic outcropping in the center of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.https://t.co/3blmJQfJW6

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) March 29, 2025

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Instead of the attacks forcing the Houthis to back down, the militant group has continued attacking southern and central Israel with ballistic missiles.

“The missile force targeted Ben Gurion Airport in the occupied Jaffa (Tel Aviv) area with a Zulfiqar ballistic missile and a military target south of occupied Jaffa with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. The operation successfully achieved its goal,” Yemen’s Houthi military had said Thursday.

Israel has reported no deaths or casualties from these attacks, but there’s been limited damage. Most inbound projectiles have been intercepted or fell in the desert before reaching Tel Aviv.