2024-03-04T17:45:04+00:00
Shafaq News / An incident in the Red Sea has severed three underwater marine cables critical to global internet and communications, officials said on Monday.
Hong Kong-based Hutchison Global Communications said the damaged cables included the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 cable, Europe-India Gateway cable, Seacom cable and TGN-Gulf cable, affecting 25% of traffic flowing through the Red Sea. There was no specific reason for the cable break.
There is global concern that these cables are being targeted by the Houthis.
The disruption to telecommunications lines could further exacerbate an ongoing crisis that is already affecting global shipping in the Red Sea, a key route for goods and energy between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Seacom, one of the affected cable providers, reported that preliminary tests indicate the affected section is within Yemen’s maritime jurisdiction in the southern Red Sea. The company is rerouting traffic but noted some services were down.
The Houthis deny the accusations and blame British and US military operations for the disruption.
Since November 19, the Houthis have been launching missiles and drones at commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to protest Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Despite U.S.-led airstrikes, rebels have maintained the ability to launch major attacks.
According to the Associated Press, there are currently 14 cables crossing the Red Sea and six more are planned. More than 90% of communications between Europe and Asia pass through these submarine cables in the Red Sea, providing a high degree of redundancy.