Internet access in the Middle East disturbed after the underwater cables are mysteriously cut

During the weekend, crucial submarine cables providing Internet access to certain parts of Asia were mysteriously cut, which led to internet breakdowns in certain parts of the Middle East and Asia.

The initials seem to come from a Microsoft announcement published on Sunday. The announcement indicates, in part: “From 05:45 UTC on September 06, 2025, network traffic crossing the Middle East may experience increased latency due to cuts of underwater fibers in the Red Sea.” Gizmodo contacted the company for more information.

According to the available reports, a large part of which comes from the Associated Press, it is not yet clear which has actually been affected. Netblocks, the Internet surveillance service, says that cable cuts have led to “degraded internet connectivity in several countries, including #Pakistan and #India; The incident is attributed to failures affecting SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. ”

The report noted that the Saudi government has not recognized the breakdowns, although Kuwait has announced damage to the Falcon GCX cable, which crosses the Red Sea. Internet access outside this geographical region should not be affected, said Microsoft.

Some suspicions have apparently been thrown on houthi rebel groups that have operated in the Red Sea for months, although the notes that these groups have denied having attacked the cables in the past. In March, three Red Sea cables were cut and suspicion was thrown on the Houthis. We still don’t know who was responsible for this incident. The Houthis say that their military efforts aim to disrupt the violent military campaign of Israel in Gaza.

In recent years, there has been growing concern about cable damage, and some spectators have seen evidence of geopolitical sabotage. The International Cable Protection Committee (yes, there is such a thing) meets each year to discuss political and technical solutions to improve protections for the vital Internet infrastructure aquatic network.

Earlier this year, cable disruptions near the Balts and Taiwan inspired the accusations of intervention by American enemies, NBC previously reported. That said, it is also possible that cables are frequently damaged involuntarily, sometimes by large ocean cargo cargoes or other environmental disorders.