Red Sea rebels? Net jolts from cable cuts

DUBAI: Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East, experts said Sunday, though it wasn't immediately clear what caused the incident.

- 

There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past.

Undersea cables are one of the backbones of the internet, along with satellite connections and land-based cables. Typically, internet service providers have multiple access points and reroute traffic if one fails, though it can slow down access for users.

Microsoft announced via a status website that the Middle East "may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea." The Redmond, Washington-based firm did not immediately elaborate, though it said that internet traffic not moving through the Middle East "is not impacted."