In December, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group wrote a threatening post on the messaging platform Telegram suggesting it may try to cut the undersea cables that carry internet traffic from around the world.
Telecommunications companies affiliated with Yemen’s legitimate government said on Monday that the Houthis have no such interference, as global companies foolishly do business with the Houthis and show how their undersea cable system works. warned that he had the ability to commit the act.
An alarming Houthi post on Telegram included a map of communication cables running along the bottom of the Red Sea and an ominous message that read: “There is a map of international cables that connect all parts of the world through the sea. Yemen appears to be in a strategic location because the internet lines that connect not only the country but the entire continent pass nearby.”
The Houthis have launched terrorist attacks on ships in the Red Sea in support of Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. shut down One of the most important sea lanes in the world. If it can overcome the logistical hurdles, it appears it may consider disrupting global internet traffic.
Up to 16 major undersea cables run through the Red Sea towards Egypt and the Suez Canal, according to Yemen’s telecommunications company. One of them connects Southeast Asia and Europe. In total, this cable handles about 17 percent of the world’s Internet traffic, which coincidentally is the same amount of time in the world that passed through the Red Sea before the Houthis began attacking ships with missiles, drones, and hijackers. It is close to the proportion of ships.
Houthi forces board the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on November 19, 2023. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
Yemen’s telecommunications industry complained on Monday that too many foreign companies were willing to do business with the Houthis. Control After more than 10 years of civil war, most of Yemen’s population is concentrated in the capital, Sanaa, which occupies about one-third of the country. His commercial contacts with the Houthis reportedly allowed him to figure out where his vital internet cables were located.
England guardian on monday Quote Security analysts say the Houthis do have an interest in cutting at least some undersea internet cables, but their “relative lack of technological development” makes it difficult to do so. This means that there is a lack of suitable diving technology, he said.
Meanwhile, some of these submarine cables run through shallow seabeds that can be reached by skilled divers without the need for state-of-the-art equipment, and the Houthis are looking for ways to escalate their sabotage operations. US and UK punitive attacks against their anti-ship missile and drone sites. Most of the undersea cables are located near Yemen’s west coast, which is tightly controlled by the Houthis.
In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon aircraft flies to join the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen in Akrotiri on January 11, 2024. Taking off from Akrotiri Royal Air Force. Cyprus. (MoD Crown copyright from Getty Images)
Wilson Jones, Defense Analyst, GlobalData Said Monday Air Force Technology:
If the Houthis decide to target these cables, it will be very difficult to stop them. If a cable breaks anywhere, the flow of data everywhere is interrupted. These cables are essential to the modern internet and digital financial transactions, so the disruption could be significant.
“The Houthis do not have submarines, but they could use some kind of depth charges, explosives, remotely controlled underwater mines, or send in people in scuba gear with wire cutters.” he said.
Jones said the Houthis have shown proficiency with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in attacks on ships, so it is unlikely they will acquire underwater drones and learn how to use them well enough to attack internet cables. It’s not that there aren’t any, he added.
Other analysts It pointed out If the Houthis damage any part of the undersea cable, repairing it will be difficult and time-consuming. It could take weeks for a suitable cable ship to reach the Red Sea, leaving it highly vulnerable to Houthi attack while it is being repaired.
Recently Russia too blackmailed Cutting undersea internet cables in retaliation for the operation damaged The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is scheduled for completion in September 2022.
