Media: Houthis damaged underwater Internet cables connecting Europe and Asia
The Yemeni Houthis damaged four underwater cables that provided an Internet connection between Europe and Asia, RIA Novosti reports, citing the Israeli newspaper Globes
“Four underwater communication cables were damaged in the Red Sea between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in East Africa,” the publication reads.
According to Globes, the damaged cables belong to the companies AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Europe 1), Seacom (African cable system), EIG (Europe India Gateway), and TGN Atlantic. The incident led to ‘serious disruptions’ in the Internet connection between Europe and Asia, with the main damage being felt in the Gulf countries and India.
Globes reports that it will take at least eight weeks to repair the communication cables.
There are no further details yet.
The Houthis, who control a large part of the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea, began attacking Israeli-related vessels after the escalation of the Middle East conflict. This led to a sharp reduction in maritime traffic through the Suez Canal.
At the same time, representatives of the Yemen-based rebel Houthi movement Ansar Allah stated that this is how they are helping the Palestinians, and their actions do not impede freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Arab and Muslim countries have repeatedly warned the United States that unconditional support for Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip would cause the conflict to spread to the entire region.
In response, the US and the UK began attacking Houthi targets from mid-January onwards. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council of Ansar Allah, characterised these attacks as terrorist barbarism, deliberate and unjustified aggression.
