UN-recognised government and telecoms firms speak of threat to digital infrastructure, with some submarine cables lying just 100 metres below the surface

Telecom firms linked to the UN-recognised Yemen government said on Sunday they fear Houthi rebels are planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea critical to the functioning of the western internet, and to the transmission of financial data.

The warning came after a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of the cables running along the bed of the Red Sea. The image was accompanied by a message: “There are maps of international cables connecting all regions of the world through the sea. It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents – not only countries – pass near it.”

Yemen Telecom said it had made both diplomatic and legal efforts during the past few years to persuade global international telecom alliances not to have any dealings with the Houthis since it would provide a terrorist group with knowledge of how the submarine cables operated. It has been estimated that the Red Sea carries about 17% of the world’s internet traffic along fibre pipes.

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  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    7·
    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Telecom firms linked to the UN-recognised Yemen government said on Sunday they fear Houthi rebels are planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea critical to the functioning of the western internet, and to the transmission of financial data.

    The warning came after a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of the cables running along the bed of the Red Sea.

    In a statement, Yemen’s General Telecommunications Corporation condemned the threats of the Houthi terrorist militia to target international submarine cables.

    It warned as many as 16 of these submarine cables – which are often no thicker than a hosepipe and are vulnerable to damage from ships’ anchors and earthquakes – pass through the Red Sea towards Egypt.

    It added “the Houthis have maintained the capability to harass surface shipping through missiles and fast-attack craft but lack the submersibles necessary to reach the cables”.

    Instead of escalation and igniting a new front in the region, America and Britain should submit to international public opinion, which demands an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, lift the siege on Gaza, and stop protecting Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people.”

    The original article contains 517 words, the summary contains 193 words. Saved 63%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!