Who's to Blame: Cut Underwater Cables Disrupt Internet Access

Undersea cables have been cut in the Red Sea, disrupting internet access in Asia and the Middle East. It is unclear what caused the incident.

There have been concerns that the cables were targeted by Yemen's Houthi rebels in a Red Sea campaign that the rebels describe as an attempt to pressure Israel to end its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past, the Associated Press noted.

Undersea cables are one of the main systems of the Internet, along with satellite connections and land cables. Typically, Internet service providers have multiple access points and reroute traffic if one fails, although this can slow down users' access.

Microsoft announced on its official website that the Middle East “may experience increased latency due to disruptions in the Red Sea undersea fiber.”

NetBlocks, a company that monitors internet access, said “a series of undersea cable outages in the Red Sea have resulted in poor internet connectivity in many countries,” including India and Pakistan. The report cited “outages affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.”

The Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 cable is operated by Tata Communications, part of an Indian conglomerate. The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is operated by another consortium, controlled by Alcatel Submarine Networks.

Pakistan's telecom giant Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. said in a statement Saturday that Internet service cuts had occurred, the Associated Press continues.

Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the failure, and the country's authorities have not responded to a request for comment, the news agency notes.

Kuwaiti authorities also said the FALCON GCX cable running through the Red Sea had been cut, causing disruption to services in the small, oil-rich country.

In the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, internet users on state-run networks Du and Etisalat complained of slow internet speeds. The government has not confirmed the outage.

Underwater cables can be severed by anchors dropped from ships, but they can also be targets for attack. Repairs can take weeks because the ship and crew must be above the damaged cable, the Associated Press predicts.

The cutting of the lines comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels continue to launch a series of attacks on Israel in connection with the Israeli-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Israel has responded with airstrikes, including one that killed senior rebel leaders, the Associated Press reports.

In early 2024, Yemen's internationally recognized government-in-exile said the Houthis were planning to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several cables were cut, possibly because a Houthi vessel had dropped anchor, but the rebels denied responsibility. On Sunday morning, the Houthi satellite news channel Al-Masirah acknowledged internet problems, citing network blockages.

Muammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen's internationally recognised anti-Houthi government based in southern Yemen, issued a statement saying the cable TV outage "cannot be isolated from the series of direct attacks carried out by Houthi militias."

“What is happening in the Red Sea today should serve as a wake-up call for the international community to take a firm stance to stop these growing threats and protect the digital infrastructure that serves as the lifeline of the modern world,” al-Eryani said.

From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis fired missiles and drones at more than 100 ships during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. So far, the Houthis have sunk four ships and killed at least eight sailors in their campaign, the Associated Press recalls.

The Iranian-backed Houthis halted their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense campaign of airstrikes for weeks ordered by US President Donald Trump before he announced a ceasefire with the rebels. In July, the Houthis sank two ships, killing at least four aboard, and the rest were believed to be held by the rebels.

The new Houthi attacks come as a potential ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas remains in limbo, while the future of US-Iran talks over Tehran's nuclear programme is in doubt after Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic that saw the US bomb three Iranian nuclear sites.