Global internet traffic has been impacted by damage to multiple undersea cables in the Red Sea, a region with intense conflict between Houthi rebels and Western forces.
“Among 15+ submarine cables in the Red Sea, 4 of them (Seacom, TGN, AAE-1, EIG) are cut which we estimated impact 25 percent of traffic” in that area, Hong Kong telecom company HGC Global Communications said in a March 4 press release.
“Around 15 percent of Asia traffic goes westbound, while 80 percent of that traffic will pass through these submarine cables in the Red Sea.”
HGC claimed to have devised a plan to reroute the affected traffic, including diversifying it within the remaining 11 submarine cable systems in the Red Sea. The company did not reveal how the cables were damaged or if anyone intentionally damaged them.
The incident comes after the Yemeni government warned weeks ago that Houthi rebels could target the cables. In late February, Israeli media outlet Globes reported that four submarine cables were damaged in the Red Sea by the Yemeni rebels.
Repairing the cables could take up to eight weeks and risks exposing workers to Houthis, the report stated. As such, telecom companies may have to pay a high premium to hire people to handle the repairs.
HGC pointed out that while the damage was significant, it was not critical since other cables passing through the same region linking Europe, Africa, and Asia were not damaged.
Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi denied that the group was involved in damaging the cables. “We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region,” he stated, according to CNN.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni government blamed military action against the Houthis by the United States and the United Kingdom for damaging the cables.
Seacom said that the location of the cable damage is significant given the current geopolitical sensitivity in the region, which makes maintenance and repair operations a challenge, according to tech news outlet ITWeb.
“Seacom still continues to carry traffic on its own cable between Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa for both transmission and IP services,” it stated.
“All other IP-based services destined for Europe and other regions were automatically rerouted via Seacom’s alternative routes.”
The affected Seacom link runs from Mombasa in Kenya to Zafarana in Egypt. The Tata Global Network (TGN) system affected by the damage connects Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Djibouti.
The Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) cable provides internet to multiple countries including India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Europe India Gateway (EIG)’s internet system connects 12 nations, including India, Portugal, Egypt, and the UK.
Houthi Threat
The Houthis earlier had published a map of the undersea cables in the Red Sea on their Telegram channel, with an accompanying message:
“There are maps of international cables connecting all regions of the world through the sea. It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents—not only countries—pass near it,” according to The Guardian.
Yemen Telecom has made legal and diplomatic efforts over the past few years to persuade global telecom alliances not to have any dealings with the Houthis to prevent the terror group from gaining access to operational information on submarine cables, the outlet stated.
In a Jan. 29 commentary at the Gulf International Forum, Emily Milliken, senior vice president and lead analyst at Askari Defense & Intelligence in Virginia, warned that the Houthis could target the Red Sea cables.
“So far, the cables have been kept safe more so by the Houthis’ relative technological underdevelopment than for a lack of motivation,” she wrote.
“Up to now, the militant group has primarily fought a land war against the internationally recognized government of Yemen and its Saudi and Emirati allies; consequently, they have never developed a highly-trained navy or marine contingent.
“With sufficient time and opportunity, however, the Houthis might be able to adapt some of their maritime tactics to target the vital communication infrastructure. In fact, the shallow waters of the Gulf—which only reach a depth of 100 meters—reduce the need for high-tech submarines to get the job done.”
Ms. Milliken pointed out that three divers were arrested in Egypt in 2013 for trying to cut an undersea cable near the port of Alexandria. Houthis who have undergone combat diver training could employ a similar attack, she stated.
Speaking to BBC last month, former UK Royal Navy submarine commander Rear Adm. John Gower called Houthi threats of sabotaging the undersea cables a “bluff, unless it’s an attack on a terminal.”
Pulling off such a task “would need an ally with the capability, [someone with] a submersible plus the ability to locate [the cables],” he said.
As to whether the Houthis could receive such support from its backer Iran, former Royal Navy Cmdr. Tom Sharpe said, “There is nothing I’ve seen in the Iranian orbat (Order of Battle) that could touch these cables, certainly not their submarines.”
“Diving is an option but it’s deep and busy so I think it would be pushing it … I think this is a bluff,” he said about the Houthi threat.
From The Epoch Times
