Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet access on Sunday in parts of Asia and the Middle East, with Pakistan being one of the countries facing the disruption.
However, it wasn't immediately clear what caused the incident, the Associated Press reported.
There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past.
Tech giant Microsoft has said that the Middle East “may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea.” The company added that internet traffic not moving through the Middle East “is not impacted” but did not elaborate further.
According to NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors internet access worldwide, “a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries,” including Pakistan. The watchdog blamed “failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia” for the disruption. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is yet to comment on the disruption.
Internet users in the United Arab Emirates complained of slower internet speeds on the country's state-owned Du and Etisalat networks. The government has remained mum on the matter.
Are Houthis behind the internet disruption due to Red Sea cable cuts?
While the cause of the cable cuts in the Red Sea is not clear, Yemen's Houthi rebels have been previously linked to attacks on infrastructure in the region.
In early 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognised government in exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several were cut, but the Houthis denied being responsible. On Sunday morning, the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged that the cuts had taken place.
While the cause of the cable cuts in the Red Sea is not clear, Yemen's Houthi rebels have been previously linked to attacks on infrastructure in the region.
In early 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognised government in exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several were cut, but the Houthis denied being responsible. On Sunday morning, the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged that the cuts had taken place.
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. In their campaign so far, the Houthis have sunk four vessels and killed at least eight mariners.