Houthis May Destroy Undersea Internet Cables and Put World in 'Blockade'

Major concerns have been raised over Houthi threats to sabotage international internet traffic and the transmission of financial data, with Yemeni telecom firms sounding the alarm over the militant group's plans to 'disrupt' submarine cables in the Red Sea.

The General Telecommunications Company of Yemen, which is affiliated with the UN-recognized government, issued a statement condemning "Houthi threats to sabotage international sea cables", reports the Telegraph.

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Approximately 17 percent of the world's Internet traffic is carried through fiber pipes in the Red Sea.

On December 24, a Houthi-affiliated Telegram channel posted a map showing the convergence of communications cables in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf, accompanied by an ominous message about Yemen's "strategic location."

"Yemen is close to a disproportionate number of international submarine internet cables, particularly along the west coast where the Houthis have the most access," explains Wilson Jones, defense analyst at GlobalData.

"It would be very difficult to stop the Houthis if they made a concerted effort to disrupt these cables," says Jones. “A cut in a cable anywhere disrupts the flow of data everywhere. As these cables are essential to the modern internet and digital financial transactions, the disruption could be huge." /Telegraph/