Four underwater communications cables between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti were struck out of commission in the recent months
by I24News, February 28, 2024
Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis are widely considered to have damaged the cables believed to belong to the AAE-1, Seacom, Europe India Gateway (EIG), and TGN systems.
The knock-out marks serious disruption in communications between Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, the immediate harm will be felt by the Gulf states and India, Globes noted.
The AAE-1 cable connects East Asia to Europe via Egypt, linking China to the West via Pakistan and Qatar. The EIG cable system connects southern Europe to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, the UAE and India. The Seacom cable serves as a link between Europe, Africa, and India, and is also connected to South Africa.
‘It seems like the Houthi leadership is not really deterred by the strikes’
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) February 25, 2024
Dr. Ely Karmon, a senior researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University, analyzes the recent wave of American-British strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen pic.twitter.com/LeK7hUWZms
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday morning reported that two one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down in the southern Red Sea area, which occurred the night before.
In addition, CENTCOM confirmed the Iranian-backed Houthis launched on Saturday an anti-ship ballistic missile "likely targeting" an American flagged and owned commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
CENTCOM said the UAVS were identified by its forced which determined that the suicide drones "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessel and to the U.S. Navy ships in the region."
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In addition to the two that were shot down in self-defense, a third UAV crashed due to an assessed "in-flight failure.
The U.S.-flagged and owned M/V Torm Thor ship was described as the likely target for the Houthi attack on Saturday. CENTCOM said the missile impacted the water and the chemical/oil tanker vessel sustained no damage, or injuries to its crew.
Last week, the Houthis struck M/V Rubymar causing significant damage to the UK-owned bulk carrier which also resulted in a massive 18-mile oil slick leaking into the Red Sea area.
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