Damaged Undersea Cables Spark Internet Disruptions in Asia and Middle East

On Sunday, industry experts reported disruptions to internet connections in parts of Asia and the Middle East due to damaged undersea cables in the Red Sea. The root cause of this incident remains unknown. The breakage of these subaqueous cables has sparked talks about a possible connection to Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ Red Sea campaign. This campaign is regarded by the rebels as a means to influence Israel to cease its warfare against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, despite rejecting previous allegations of targeting these cables.

The internet’s fundamental architecture is heavily reliant on undersea cables, in concert with satellites and terrestrial cables. Although internet service providers typically have various points of access and can redirect traffic when one entry point fails, this form of disruption can result in slower user access. A pattern of outages affecting these subaqueous cables in the Red Sea has led to diminished internet connectivity in numerous countries, including India and Pakistan.

The technical errors were linked to issues plaguing the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems located near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 cable is under the management of Tata Communications, a segment of an Indian conglomerate. Simultaneously, the India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is handled by another consortium, supervised by Alcatel-Lucent. Reactions from both entities on this matter are yet to be received.

Anchors from seafaring vessels can inflict damage to subaquatic cables, though these channels can also be intentionally targeted. The repair process can be time-consuming as it involves a ship and crew to pinpoint and position themselves above the damaged section. The repair could take weeks to complete.

This recent cable damage coincides with ongoing conflicts involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who continue their offensive actions against Israel in relation to the Israel-Hamas warfare in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s response has included airstrikes, some of which have resulted in the elimination of high-ranking figures within the rebel faction.

Spanning from November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthi rebels targeted over 100 seafaring vessels with missile and drone attacks due to the Israel-Hamas feud in the Gaza Strip. The rebels’ ongoing operation has resulted in four sunken vessels and a minimum of eight mariner fatalities.

Amid the war, there was a brief cessation of hostilities when the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, ceased their attacks. Subsequently, they found themselves at the receiving end of a concentrated airstrike campaign arranged by former U.S. President Donald Trump, culminating with the announcement that an understanding for a ceasefire with the rebel group was in place.

During the month of July, the rebels resumed their assaults, sinking two vessels and causing at least four fatalities. There are also reports of captive mariners, presumably held by the rebel forces.

The Houthis’ return to aggressive actions occurs at a time when there are negotiations for another potential ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The outcome of these talks remains uncertain.

Concurrently, future discussions between the U.S. and Iran have been cast into doubt. This follows Israel’s recent 12-day war against Iran, during which three Iranian nuclear sites were targeted by American airstrikes.