Internet communications between Europe and Asia have been disrupted after Houthi rebels damaged four underwater communication cables in the Red Sea, according to Israeli news site Globes.
The four damaged cables are located between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in East Africa, and the main effects are being felt in the Gulf countries and India, Globes reported.
At least eight weeks may be needed to repair the cables, which reportedly belong to companies AAE-1, Seacom, EIG, and TGN. Repair work also could involve exposure to risk from the Houthis.
"Estimates are that the damage to communications activities is significant but not critical because other cables pass through the same region linking Asia, Africa, and Europe that have not been hit," Globes reported.
Seacom, in the African press, seemed to confirm it was having cable issues but did not point blame at any group, Data Centre Dynamics reported.
The EIG (European India Gateway) cable, which connects Southern Europe with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, the UAE, and India, was laid by Tyco arm Alcatel-Lucent at a cost of $700 million.
TGN Atlantic cable was laid by Tyco International in 2001 and sold to Indian company Tata Communications in 2005 for $130 million.
The AAE-1 cable links East Asia to Europe via Egypt. It links China with the West via countries belonging to the Chinese-Iranian axis, Globe reported.
The Seacom cable links Europe, Africa, and India as well as South Africa.
Internet monitoring firm NetBlocks confirmed that Internet services in Djibouti had been disrupted, possibly due to cable damage.
"Metrics show a disruption to network connectivity at the Djibouti Data Center which connects the country's landing stations," NetBlocks said on X.
Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait since November in support of Palestinians in Gaza. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.
The Iran-aligned Houthis last week sent shipping officials and insurers formal notice of what they termed a ban on vessels linked to Israel, the U.S., and Britain from sailing in surrounding seas, seeking to reinforce their military campaign, in advisories seen by Reuters.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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