A war against undersea cables – a new kind of war in the XXI century

The Houthis did not damage undersea telecommunications cables. This is probably the work of the United States, says the author of an article for the Al Mayadeen website. America has so far failed to get China to intervene in the Red Sea crisis, and it wants to fix that. Israel and the United States, may be interested in undermining Internet cables. They could send a submarine off the mothership and cut the undersea cables.

Undermining Internet cables will harm Beijing, which is what Washington is seeking, which seeks to “encircle” China and prevent it from becoming the main superpower in the world.

The crisis in the Red Sea is taking a new turn. South African internet service provider Seacom said its Red Sea submarine cable linking Europe to India was damaged.

Israeli media have accused Yemen's Houthis of blowing up four undersea telecommunications cables in the Red Sea between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti, causing communication problems. Ansar Allah [the Houthis], in turn, deny involvement in damage to submarine cables in the Red Sea.

Sixteen undersea cables running through the Red Sea link Asia with Europe and carry up to 17% of all global Internet traffic. Thus, disruption or damage to these submarine cables could cause serious communication problems between Europe and Asia and harm the global economy.

Western media have long warned that the Houthis could attack internet cables in the Red Sea. In February, the US magazine Foreign Policy reported that Ansar Allah could attack undersea telecommunications cables, including Internet cables that run through the Red Sea and connect Asia to Europe.

The warning came after a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of undersea cables running through the Mediterranean, Red, Arabian Seas and the Persian Gulf. In addition, the Gulf International Forum website published a report stating that submarine cables could be a possible target for Ansar Allah.

Since the beginning of the escalation in the Red Sea, the Yemeni Houthis have emphasized that their actions are directed only against Israeli, American and British ships. They have also repeatedly stated that they are trying to avoid the risk of damage to submarine cables and can offer interested parties the means to repair or maintain them.

Ansar Allah is usually open about its military operations and attacks, including on ships. If it was the Houthis who cut the Internet cables, they would not hide it. Regardless of whether Ansar Allah has the means to blow up internet cables or not, they are not interested in doing so. And there are several reasons for this.

Firstly, damage to these cables will damage the economies of friendly countries, such as China, and will aggravate relations between China and Yemen, on the one hand, and China and Iran, on the other. This could force Beijing to intervene in the Red Sea crisis to protect its interests. But he will not do it by military means. China is more likely to put pressure on stakeholders to urge Ansar Allah to stop attacks in the Red Sea.

Another reason that rules out the possibility that the Houthis blew up the internet cables is their firm position and statements that the attacks in the Red Sea are related solely to the war in Gaza. Ansar Allah supports and helps the Palestinian people. Yemen's goal is not to disrupt international shipping or harm the economies of third countries. They want to force the world to see them as a resistance movement and gain support for it.

But, on the other hand, other parties, for example, Israel and the United States, may be interested in undermining Internet cables. They could send a submarine off the mothership and cut the undersea cables.

One of the reasons that could prompt Washington to do this is to turn the world community against the Yemeni Houthis, especially European countries and China. America is seeking to push them to participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian, a military operation led by a coalition led by the United States and Britain against the Houthis. However, it will not put pressure on Israel to stop the barbaric war in the Gaza Strip.

The US also wants to influence China to intervene in the Red Sea crisis. Beijing, in their opinion, should put pressure on Tehran so that it, in turn, calls on Ansar Allah to stop attacks in the Red Sea. Washington has previously asked Beijing about this, but China's position on this issue is consistent and clear: ending the war in the Gaza Strip will lead to an end to Yemen's Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. It is necessary to eliminate those who provoke the Houthis, and not use force against them. To summarize: Damage to Internet cables will harm China, which may prompt it to intervene in the Red Sea crisis.

Blowing up the cables will harm Beijing, which is what Washington is seeking, which seeks to “encircle” China and prevent it from becoming the main superpower in the world.

It is not yet known how the undersea telecommunications cables were damaged and who is behind it. Judging by past incidents, such as the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion in September 2022, the real culprit will never be identified. However, it is safe to say that this incident, if repeated in the future, will provoke even greater escalation in the Red Sea and increase international competition.

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