An undersea data cable in the Red Sea has reportedly been damaged, months after threats by Yemeni Houthi rebels. From the report: At least 15 undersea cables pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern tip of the Red Sea. This area is only 26 km wide at some points. Yemen is on the northern coast of the strait. The first reports of damage to submarine cables off the coast of Yemen began to emerge on Monday morning, with Israeli news agency Globes claiming that four cables (EIG, AAE-1, Seacom and TGN-EA) were damaged. Seacom has reportedly confirmed damage to the cable it operates between Kenya and Egypt.
“The location of the cable break is critical due to geopolitical sensitivities and ongoing tensions, creating a difficult environment for maintenance and repair operations,” Seacom said in a statement. “Teams are currently working towards a recovery schedule and will communicate these plans to our clients.” Groves blamed the outage on the Iranian-backed Houthis, adding that there are several other groups in the area. He argued that the damage was “significant but not fatal” because there are submarine cables running through it. Seacom has already reassured customers that it is rerouting traffic to other cables. Although the world has a good supply of cable repair vessels, they are booked far in advance and it is not always possible to find one ready to work. Repairing cables is also not easy. Locating, salvaging, and reattaching damaged segments takes time.