Internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East was disrupted after undersea cables in the Red Sea were cut, experts said Sunday, though the cause of the incident remains unclear. The outages have raised concerns about possible sabotage amid ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi, who have previously denied targeting subsea cables. Undersea fiber links form one of the backbones of global internet infrastructure, alongside satellites and land-based networks. Microsoft said on its status website that the Middle East "may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea," though it added that internet traffic not routed through the region was unaffected. NetBlocks, an internet observatory, reported "a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea" degrading connectivity in multiple countries, including India and Pakistan. It said the failures affected the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems. Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. confirmed the cuts in a Saturday statement. The affected cables are operated by Tata Communications and a consortium managed by Alcatel Submarine Networks. Both companies declined to comment. Subsea lines can be damaged accidentally by ship anchors or intentionally in attacks. Repairs often take weeks as ships must locate and lift the cable before restoring service. The incident comes as Houthis continue strikes against Israel in response to the war in Gaza. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Iran-aligned group attacked more than 100 vessels in the Red Sea, sinking four and killing at least eight mariners. They briefly paused operations during a ceasefire but resumed attacks this summer. — Agencies
