Houthi leaders say they have lost access to vital undersea communications, as Yemen’s UN-recognized government warns of an impending marine environmental disaster if a cargo ship rammed by rebels last week is not quickly rescued. He denies targeting Cable.
The Belizean-registered but British-owned bulk carrier Rubimar is adrift in the Red Sea after being hit by two missiles. The ship is feared to be at risk of sinking, with an 18-mile oil spill and she is carrying 41,000 tonnes of volatile fertilizer.
The Feb. 22 attack on the Rubimaa was the biggest hit to date on a commercial vessel since the Houthis began targeting ships in November. The Houthis say their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea are in solidarity with the suffering people of Gaza.
There have long been fears that the Houthis will escalate their actions, including disrupting internet communications and cutting undersea cables.
The 16 small fiber-optic lines across the Red Sea floor carry about 17% of all international data traffic, including trunk lines linking Europe with India and East Asia.
According to a report on Monday, cables belonging to four major telecommunications networks, including Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1), TGN Atlantic, Europe-India Gateway and Seacom Systems, have been damaged in recent months. The cause of the damage has not been determined, and natural damage occurs relatively regularly.
Israeli media reports blamed the damage on the Houthis, but Yemen’s communications ministry, which is controlled by the Houthis, denied any involvement.
Seacom has confirmed that the cable between Egypt and Kenya was cut on February 24th and is investigating. Some of these lines are relatively shallow, as deep as 300 feet, and may be accessible to divers.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government issued a warning earlier this month about a potential Houthi threat to these undersea assets, and has reportedly discussed the issue with carriers in the past.
The Houthi Islamist movement, which seized Yemen’s capital in 2015, says it is targeting only Israeli-linked vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and plans to carry out months of attacks if Hamas agrees to a ceasefire. The company has stated that it will consider canceling the program.
Britain and the United States have launched a series of attacks on missile bases in Yemen, but have privately acknowledged that the best they can do is slow the pace and intensity of attacks on ships.
Tarek Saleh, a member of the United Nations-recognized government’s Presidential Leadership Council, met Foreign Ministry officials to discuss Houthi attacks on commercial ships, threats to undersea cables, and the potential environmental disaster caused by undersea cables. He is visiting London to meet with others. Attack Rubymar.
Saleh is the nephew of late President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 22 years from 1990, the moment of Yemeni unification, and was killed by the Houthis.
Mr Saleh wants to discuss what support the UN-recognized government can offer Britain in targeting Houthi strongholds.
Mr Saleh, along with almost all Yemenis, fiercely opposes Israel’s actions in Gaza, balancing criticism of Britain’s foreign policy towards Gaza with a desire to help stop the US and UK attacks on Gaza. As a result, we must walk a politically delicate line. Houthis attack merchant ships in the Red Sea.
“The condition of the Rubimar is very poor and footage shows that the ship is heavily listed and on the verge of sinking,” said Faisal al-Talabi, head of the environment authority. Efforts are underway to tow her ship across the Red Sea to Djibouti and Yemen. ”
