Undersea data cables in the Red Sea have been damaged, months after Yemeni Houthi rebels threatened to target such infrastructure. The Red Sea is a critical conduit for both global shipping and international data traffic, with the Bab al-Mandab Strait, its narrowest point, flanked by Yemen on the northern shore. This area is of significant strategic importance due to its role in facilitating around 17% of all international data traffic via 16 small fiber-optic lines.
The damage was first reported by the Israeli news outlet Globes, which identified four major telecom networks affected: the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1), TGN Atlantic, Europe India Gateway (EIG), and the Seacom system. Seacom, which operates a cable running between Kenya and Egypt, confirmed that its line had been severed on February 24, highlighting the geopolitical sensitivity and the ongoing tensions making maintenance and repair operations particularly challenging. Despite the damage, Seacom reassured customers that traffic had been rerouted onto other cables to minimize disruption.
The Houthi movement, which has previously attacked civilian and military assets in the Red Sea, had made threats against communication infrastructure in the area late in 2023. The capacity of the Houthis to carry out such operations has been a subject of debate. Experts like Rear Admiral John Gower, a former Royal Navy submarine commander, and former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe have expressed skepticism about the Houthis’ ability to directly damage these cables, suggesting that such capabilities typically lie with more sophisticated forces.
The incident has underscored the vulnerability of undersea cables to geopolitical conflicts. The European Commission has recently emphasized the need to improve the security of these critical infrastructures, urging European Union nations to recognize the utmost national significance of submarine cable infrastructures.
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