Red Sea Internet Cables Cut: What Really Happened?

Internet access was disrupted in parts of Asia and the Middle East, after the undersea cables in Red Sea, got cut. The reason behind the incident is not clear yet.

It is being suspected that the cables were targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which the rebels said was an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, the Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past.

On its status page, Microsoft said the Mideast “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.” The Redmond, Washington-based firm did not elaborate but said that the internet traffic not moving through the Middle East is not impacted.

NetBlocks, which monitors internet access, said “a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries,” which it said included India and Pakistan. It identified failures affecting the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe (SMW4) and the India-Middle East Western Europe (IMEWE) cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 cable is run by Tata Communications. The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is run by another consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent. Both firms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, internet users on the country’s state-owned Du and Etisalat networks complained of slower internet speeds. The government did not immediately acknowledge the disruption.

Meanwhile, it is being said that subsea cables can be cut by anchors dropped from ships and also by attacks. Repair of the cut lines typically takes weeks as specialized vessels need to locate and fix the damage.

The lines being cut comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels remain locked in a series of attacks targeting Israel over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Israel has responded with airstrikes, including one that killed top leaders within the rebel movement.

In early 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognized government in exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. However, Houthis denied being responsible.

On Sunday morning, the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged that the cuts had taken place, citing NetBlocks. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. So far, the Houthis have sunk four vessels and killed at least eight mariners.

The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. Later, they became target of airstrikes ordered by US President Donald Trump. In July, the Houthis sank two vessels, killing at least four on board with others believed to be held by the rebels.