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Introducción: En febrero 28, 2024, a cable submarino fault occurred in the Red Sea, causando una interrupción significativa en la comunicación por Internet entre Eurasia. Four cable submarinos were reported to be affected, resultando en aproximadamente 25% de las interrupciones del tráfico de Internet en Eurasia. Este incidente resalta el papel crucial de los cables submarinos en la comunicación global por Internet., further complicated by the involvement of Houthi militants.
Antecedentes e impacto:
- Hora y lugar del incidente: La falla del cable submarino ocurrió en febrero 28, 2024, en la región del Mar Rojo, Afectando severamente la comunicación por Internet entre Eurasia.
- Cables y regiones afectados: Cuatro cables submarinos resultaron afectados, with the disruption spanning across Eurasia, causing around 25% of Eurasian internet traffic to be interrupted.
- Expected Repair Time: Repair work is anticipated to take several weeks, during which internet communication between Eurasia may continue to be affected.
Involvement of Houthi Militants and Response:
- Houthi Militants' Statement: Israeli media reports indicated that Houthi militants claimed responsibility for the destruction of the Red Sea submarine cable, citing it as retaliation against Saudi Arabia.
- International Response: The actions of Houthi militants have drawn widespread international attention, with UN Secretary-General condemning their actions and calling for an immediate cessation of any activities targeting internet infrastructure.
Here is a timeline of the Houthis’ response to the undersea cable sabotage in the Red Sea:
- Febrero 28, 2024: A submarine cable failure in the Red Sea severely affected Internet communications between Asia and Europe.
- marzo 1, 2024: The Houthis deny responsibility for the destruction of submarine cables in the Red Sea.
- marzo 2, 2024: Houthi leader Abdul Malik Houthi issued a statement admitting that the Houthis were responsible for the destruction of submarine cables in the Red Sea.
- marzo 3, 2024: United Nations Secretary-General Guterres condemned the actions of the Houthis and called on all parties to immediately stop all acts of damaging Internet infrastructure.
Submarine Cable Faults and Global Internet Communication:
- Importance of Submarine Cables: Submarine cables serve as the backbone of global internet communication, carrying approximately 99% of intercontinental communication traffic.
- Impact of Faults: The occurrence of submarine cable faults can severely disrupt global internet communication.
Affected Submarine Cables:
- FALCON: Spanning 2,000 kilómetros, connecting Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Suez, Egypt.
- EIG: Extending over 1,200 kilómetros, linking Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti, East Africa.
- SMW4: Stretching 12,000 kilómetros, connecting multiple countries and regions including: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and other countries and regions , with a capacity of 4.8 Tbps.
- SEA-ME-WE 5: Covering 20,000 kilómetros, linking Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe with a capacity of 18 Tbps.
Entre ellos, FALCON, EIG and SMW4 are important communication trunks between Asia and Europe, carrying a large amount of Internet traffic. SEA-ME-WE 5 is also an important international submarine cable, connecting Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Western Europe and other regions.
Conclusión: The Red Sea submarine cable fault incident serves as a reminder of the critical role of submarine cables in global communication. The involvement of Houthi militants not only caused significant disruption to Eurasian internet communication but also prompted widespread international concern and condemnation.
