Internet cables connecting Asia and Europe cut in the Red Sea

In the Red Sea, 3 telecommunication cables that ensure the operation of the global Internet were cut. These are lines on a route that is considered critical for data transmission between Asia and Europe. The damage affected 25% of the traffic passing through the Red Sea on the lines transmitting data to Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Seacom, which serves Djibouti, said that «initial testing indicates that the affected segment is within Yemen’s maritime jurisdiction in the southern Red Sea».

Last month, Yemen’s internationally recognized government said that the Houthis were planning to attack internet cables. However, after the cables were damaged, the Houthis denied sabotage on their part. They blamed the damage on UK and US military operations, without providing any evidence.

Seacom said it was rerouting traffic, which may make a difference, although some services are down. At the same time, Tata Communications, which is part of the Indian conglomerate and is behind the Seacom-TGN-Gulf line, said that «initiated immediate and appropriate remedial measures to correct the situation of» after the line was interrupted.