A disruption in internet services has affected several countries in Asia, including India and Pakistan, following damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea. Experts have confirmed the outage, but the precise nature of the damage is yet to be fully determined.
There’s speculation that the damage may have been caused by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who may be targeting the cables to exert pressure on Israel regarding the conflict in Gaza, although the Houthis have previously denied responsibility for such actions.
NetBlocks confirmed widespread internet connectivity problems impacting multiple countries because of the cable damage in the Red Sea. The organization pointed to technical issues affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The SMW4 cable, operated by India’s Tata Communications, connects Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe. The IMEWE cable, which also links India, the Middle East, and Western Europe, is managed by a separate consortium, with oversight from Alcatel-Lucent. Both companies have remained silent on the issue.
In the United Arab Emirates, internet users in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have reported slower internet speeds on the Du and Etisalat networks, both of which are government-owned. The government hasn’t yet officially acknowledged the problem. Saudi Arabian officials have not responded to requests for comment.
Microsoft has also acknowledged the issue on its status website, stating that the Middle East could experience slower internet speeds because of the damaged cables. The company, based in Redmond, Washington, did not offer any further details, but specified that internet traffic not routed through the Middle East should remain unaffected.
The damage to the subsea cables comes amid escalating regional tensions, particularly given the ongoing conflict involving Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have targeted Israel in connection to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes, which reportedly caused casualties among the rebel leadership.
In early 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognized government alleged that the Houthi rebels were planning attacks on undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several cables were indeed damaged, yet the Houthis denied responsibility. However, on Sunday, the Houthi-supported Al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged that the cable cuts had taken place.
From November 2023 to December 2024, Houthi rebels have targeted over 100 ships with missiles and drones as a result of the continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas.