Houthis Attack Undersea Internet Cables Connecting Europe, Asia

Four communication lines have been damaged.

Yemeni Houthis have damaged four undersea cables in the Red Sea between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in East Africa, the Israeli publication of Globes writes.

According to it, the cables in question are those of the AAE-1, Seacom, EIG and TGN companies. The attack of the Hussites causes serious disruptions in Internet communications between Europe and Asia, the users of the Gulf countries and India are the most affected, Globes notes. However, the publication calls the damage significant but not critical, as other cables connecting Asia, Africa and Europe pass through the same region.

Globes estimates that it could take at least eight weeks to repair the damaged cables. Telecom companies will be forced to find those who agree to carry out the work and are likely to pay a high risk premium, the publication said.

The EIG (European India Gateway) cable connects southern Europe with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, the UAE and India. EIG shares are owned by a consortium including AT&T, Saudi Telecom, Verizon and India's Bharat Sanchar.

The TGN Atlantic was laid by Tyco International in 2001 and sold to India's Tata Communications for $130 million in 2005.

The AAE-1 connects East Asia to Europe via Egypt. The cable has a capacity of 40 TB/s.

The Seacom cable connects Europe, Africa and India, as well as South Africa.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the Houthis declared their intention to attack ships and vessels associated with the Jewish state. However, commercial vessels of third countries were also attacked. All of them were forced to choose bypass routes.

Since December, the international coalition led by the US announced the operation of "Guardian of Prosperity" in the region to ensure the safety of ships.