Houthis could sever global internet lines by targeting submarine cables says Yemeni expert

Houthi control over areas with submarine communication cables raises fears of potential cyber warfare that could disrupt global internet connectivity amid escalating military operations in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, posing significant threats to international trade and security in these waters. 

Fahmi Mohammad, a technical specialist at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Sana’a, spoke to The Media Line about the extent of the Houthis’ technical capabilities to carry out such an attack and the extent to which the group’s leaders can exert political pressure through this card to achieve their goals.

“The Ansar Allah group (the Houthis) controls the majority of the locations through which these cables pass,” he explained, noting that the fiber optic cables are located at the bottom of the sea and hundreds of meters below the earth’s surface. “Accessing [them] requires advanced capabilities that allow access to the depths of the sea and handling the cables.”

Despite doubts about the Houthis’ possession of these capabilities, Mohammed does not rule out that the Houthis do have submarines and advanced weapons capable of carrying out such attacks “especially after Ansar Allah group announced It has many boats and submarines that are technically capable of reaching these cables.”

Fahmy added that the Houthis, through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the telecommunications and internet companies under its control, employ a group of engineers, some of whom work directly with the Chinese company Huawei. 

“They [the Yemeni engineers] have sufficient technical capacity to participate in any military operation targeting submarine cables if Ansar Allah wanted that,” Mohammed confirmed.

On February 24, HGC Global Communications Limited announced that access to the Internet in the East African country of Djibouti had become more difficult, according to the Associated Press. The press linked the outage incident to events in the Red Sea at the time. Additionally, the company said it was forced to intervene to divert and repair Internet traffic after four out of 15 submarine cables in the Red Sea were cut.

Cables in the Red Sea

Sixteen submarine cables pass through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, linking the continents of Asia and Europe and transporting 17% to 30% of global Internet traffic, serving more than two billion people.

Speaking to The Media Line on condition of anonymity, Ali Al-Samman, a committee leader within Yemen’s Public Telecommunications Corporation, discussed the situation, noting he was not authorized to speak publicly.

"The submarine internet cables that pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait are under our control,” he confirmed. “Any option proposed by the leadership of Ansar Allah group will be implemented to achieve its [the Houthis] goals, and it will not be reversed until the demands of Ansar Allah group, which is to end the siege on the Gaza Strip, is achieved."

The same source added that the Houthis have the military and technological capabilities to control these cables fully. He said, "The Houthi’s political leadership took upon itself the duty of supporting the Palestinian cause and worked to do so through military operations.”

“Yemen’s location, which intersects with the interests of the world, will preserve these interests unless they go against supporting the Palestinian cause,” Al-Samman explained.

National Security and Strategy expert Omar Al-Raddad stressed to The Media Line that targeting submarine cables is an option for the Houthis if the American-British strikes continue and achieve their goals.

"There are several factors that contribute to taking this option, including support from Iran, which may use this option to exert pressure during its discussions with the West, meaning, with support of Iranian technologies, there is an increased chance of such an attack occurring," Al-Raddad added.

The Houthis control internet services in Yemen, including areas under the control of the internationally recognized government (IRG), and implement their policies in this sector according to their best interests. This includes blocking news websites and cutting internet services in some areas.

Journalist Saddam Al-Huraibi spoke to The Media Line about this pressure card, stressing that the Houthis have used the internet and communications since their control of Sana’a. He added: “ I do not rule out that the Houthis will threaten or actually carry out military operations to target submarine cables in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.”

Al-Huraibi confirmed that despite the televised statements by the Houthi’s leader, during which he spoke about continued military escalation and no intention to target submarine cables, leaders within the Houthi group hinted via social media platforms at the possibility of using this card within their military operations in the Red Sea.

Pro-Houthi journalist Maher Al-Khaled confirmed this during an interview with The Media Line, saying, “Communication cables pass under lands which Yemen has sovereignty, and any option to use them is on the table if the United States, Israel, and their allies continue their military operations.”

Since mid-November 2023, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships heading towards Israel’s ports as part of operations that led to the detention of one ship, the sinking of another, and the exposure of many vessels to significant danger and even damage. In response to these operations, forces from the United States and Britain launched a series of attacks on Houthi targets. To respond to that, the Houthis declared that they would use all the available means for them to stand with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.