Internet disruptions in parts of Asia and the Middle East due to cuts in Red Sea undersea cables
In a concerning development, several undersea cable systems in the Red Sea have been targeted in a campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to reports. The affected cable systems, including the SMW4 and IMEWE, are located near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cable, overseen by a consortium led by Alcatel-Lucent, and the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) cable, run by Tata Communications, a part of the Indian conglomerate, have experienced outages. Both companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The disruption has led to a degradation of internet connectivity in multiple countries, including India and Pakistan. Microsoft announced that the Middle East may experience increased latency due to the undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea. Pakistan Telecommunications, a telecommunication giant in Pakistan, acknowledged the cable cuts in a statement on Saturday.
NetBlocks, an organization that monitors internet access, reported a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea. The cause of the cable cuts remains unclear. The Houthis, Yemen's rebel group, are suspected to be behind the Red Sea attacks, although the exact cause has not been confirmed.
The Houthis have threatened to disrupt global trade through further attacks. In a statement, they described their campaign as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, the damage to several undersea cables in the Red Sea around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in early September 2025 was likely caused by a cargo ship with a dropped anchor, which is a common cause of such incidents.
Microsoft did not elaborate on the issue but stated that internet traffic not moving through the Middle East is not impacted. The failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems occurred near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have not confirmed suspicions that they deliberately cut the cables. They have, however, threatened to continue their campaign, potentially causing further disruptions to global internet connectivity.
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