NEW TERRITORIES (Hong Kong): The damage caused to undersea cables in the Red Sea, following the Houthi strikes in the region, is disrupting global telecommunications networks and forcing internet providers to reroute as much as a quarter of traffic between Asia, Europe and the Middle East, reported CNN.
Hong Kong telecoms company HGC Global Communications, released a report as the Houthis continue to launch indiscriminate attacks targeting the commercial ships in the Red Sea. According to the HGC, cables belonging to four major telecoms networks have been “cut”, causing “significant” disruption to communications networks in the Middle East.
The telecom company estimated that 25 per cent of traffic between Asia and Europe as well the Middle East has been impacted, the report stated on Monday, according to CNN. Further, the company said that it is rerouting traffic to minimize disruption for customers and also “extending assistance to affected businesses”. However, the HGC did not mention the reason behind the cables damage or who was responsible.
This comes weeks after the official Yemeni government warned of the possibility of an attack on the cables by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have already disrupted global supply chains by attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, CNN reported.
Israel news outlet Globes, in a report last week, suggested that the Houthis had been behind the damage to the cables. However, Yemeni rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi denied the allegations and said, “We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region”.
Among the networks affected is the Europe-India Gateway, spanning 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles) between Europe, the Middle East and India. Moreover, Asia-Africa-Europe, a 25,000-kilometer cable system connecting South East Asia to Europe via Egypt, has also been damaged, as reported by CNN.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial and military shipping since November. The Houthis initially said that they would target Israel-linked ships in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, but later expanded their targets to include vessels linked to the United Kingdom and the US, Al Jazeera reported.
Last month, US forces and the United Kingdom Armed Forces, with the support of several other countries, conducted strikes against 18 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen. (ANI)