Concerns raised over Houthi threat to critical submarine cables in Red Sea
Telecom firms linked to the UN-recognised Yemen government fear that Houthi rebels may sabotage submarine cables in the Red Sea, crucial for the functioning of the western internet and financial data transmission. A Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of the cables, raising concerns about Yemen’s strategic location. Yemen Telecom has made efforts to discourage engagement with the Houthis, citing the risk of sharing operational knowledge. It is estimated that the Red Sea carries 17% of the world’s internet traffic. The General Telecommunications Corporation condemns the Houthi threats. Security analysts highlight the cables’ vulnerabilities and shallow depths at some points. Moammar al-Eryani, Yemen’s information minister, underscores the Houthis as a serious threat to global digital infrastructure.
According to the Guardian, Telecom firms connected to the UN-recognized Yemen government have expressed fears that Houthi rebels are planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea. These cables are critical for the functioning of the Interent. The concerns were raised after a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of the cables running along the bed of the Red Sea, highlighting Yemen’s strategic location.
Internet cables in Red Sea carries close to 20% of the global Internet traffic. Most of Euro-Asia digital communication comes through these cables, including critical ones such as the Asia-Africa-Europe AE-1, stretching over 15,500 miles from southeast Asia to Europe via the Red Sea.
These cables are vulnerable to damage from ships’ anchors and earthquakes. So far, they were not target of terrorist or criminal attacks as cutting Internet cable requires advanced technical capabilities. However as a depth of Red Sea is at some points 100 meters this would be within the reach of simpler divers capabilities.
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