In mid-2016, press messages based on information from the Eritrean opposition suggested that Israel had completed the construction of a military listening post on the Emba Soira to monitor the movement of the Arab coalition involved in the war in Yemen and to eavesdrop on Iran.

[2] In an official press release, the Eritrean Ministry of Information has vehemently denied the existence of this installation, calling it "ludicrous disinformation", "deliberately planted by certain countries and agencies to serve ulterior agendas".

[3] The first indication that the listening post was established came in a report from the American geopolitical intelligence platform, Stratfor which said in December 2012 that both Israel and Iran had bases in Eritrea.

[4] The report said: "According to Stratfor diplomatic and media sources, Israel has small naval teams in the Dahlak archipelago and Massawa and a listening post in Amba Soira.

Israel's presence in Eritrea is very focused and precise, involving intelligence gathering in the Red Sea and monitoring Iran's activities.