Since war broke out in Israel following the invasion of Hamas terrorists in October, several countries have become protagonists of the conflict. This is the case Yemen has been hit by the emergence of the Houthis, the country’s criminal group. Their involvement is causing significant harm to the rest of the planet Their attacks on ships in the Red Sea have led to a crisis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the busiest routes in international trade. But it could be worse and affect health Internet connectionwhich would endanger the world.
The Bab el Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is a corridor of approximately 115 kilometers in length that has increased over the years particular relevance on a commercial level, an important location for the completion of the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia. This area runs the same way 17% of global internet traffic, and of course the Houthi rebels have threatened to sabotage the network of submarine cables in this maritime area.
Until Sixteen of the international submarine cables cross the Red Sea towards Egypt. Most submarine cables are 3,000 meters deep and only accessible with advanced technology.
The Houthis want to leave the world without internet connectivity: How can they attack submarine cables without advanced technology?
Despite it, Some are extremely thin, reaching depths of a hundred meters, reducing the need for advanced submarines and being easily sabotaged. One of the most strategically important is the 25,000 km long AE-1 Asia-Africa-Europe, which runs from Southeast Asia to Europe via the Red Sea.
In a statement, the General Telecommunications Corporation of Yemen condemned the militias’ threats to attack international submarine cables in the country, a strategic location that connects entire continents to the network. This was via a Telegram channel linked to the Houthis, in which they called for attacking these “junctions in the Red Sea,” as The Guardian explains.
In fact, according to the Israeli news agency Globe, The submarine cables EIG, AAE-1, Seacom and TGN-EA were damaged by Houthi attacks. At least one of the companies responsible for the cables, Seacom, has confirmed that there are damaged cables. This connects Kenya with Egypt in particular.
And there are several precedents for attacks they face. For example, In 2013, three divers were arrested in Egypt for attempting to cut an underwater cable near the port of Alexandria. If the attacks on submarine cables continue, there could be a complete blackout of internet traffic. Its destruction or breakage could mean a real disruption of the connection, or at least a huge slowdown.
So far, several campaigns have been launched to prevent the Houthi rebels from causing serious damage in Yemen, such as the global scarcity crisis or the collapse of global internet connectivity. “Prosperity Guardian” or “Aspides” are the names of some of the missions commanded by the USA or the European Union to counter the attacks.