• Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupt internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East, notably India and Pakistan.
• Microsoft notes potential increased latency in affected regions due to the cable cuts.
• The Houthis have acknowledged the outages, linking them to ongoing conflicts, but deny responsibility for the attacks.
• NetBlocks reports that the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah are primarily impacted.
• Authorities in Saudi Arabia and UAE have not commented on the disruption as internet users experience slower speeds.

Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea have led to significant disruptions in internet access across parts of Asia and the Middle East, particularly affecting connectivity in countries like India and Pakistan, experts reported on Sunday. The cause of the incident remains unclear, although there are concerns about potential sabotage amidst ongoing regional conflicts, such as those involving Yemen's Houthi rebels, who state that their actions aim to pressure Israel to halt its war on Gaza. However, the Houthis have previously denied attacking undersea cables, according to Source 1 and Source 2.

Microsoft has acknowledged the disruptions, stating on its status page that the Middle East region “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea,” although it clarified that internet traffic outside this region remains unaffected. Monitoring organization NetBlocks reported "a series of subsea cable outages" degrading connectivity, specifically citing failures affecting the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SMW4) and the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cable systems located near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to Source 3.

Telecommunications companies, including Pakistan Telecommunications, have confirmed the disruptions, with users in the United Arab Emirates reporting slower internet speeds on state-owned networks like Du and Etisalat. Nonetheless, neither Saudi Arabian nor UAE authorities have publicly addressed the internet issues following the cable cuts, which can potentially be caused by dropped anchors or deliberate attacks on the infrastructure. These subsea cables are critical for global internet connectivity and typically require weeks for repairs, according to Source 2 and Source 3.

The context surrounding these undersea cable disruptions cannot be overlooked, as Yemen's Houthi rebels have been engaged in a series of military operations linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Although speculation has risen regarding their involvement in targeting subsea infrastructure, the Houthis maintained a denial of responsibility despite their al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledging the outages on Sunday morning. It has been reported that from late 2023 into 2024, they targeted over 100 vessels in the region, leading to the sinking of several and loss of life among mariners. Previous allegations by Yemen's recognized government of planned attacks on cables were rebuffed by the Houthi faction, as detailed by Source 1, Source 2, and Source 3.