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On June 26, 2024, Houthi Minister of Transportation Abd Al-Wahab Al-Durrah discussed the safety of underwater internet cables in a meeting with Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Houthi-run Maritimes Affairs Authority Zaid Al-Washli.
According to the official website of Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthi Movement, Al-Durrah met with Al-Washli in Sana'a, Yemen, to discuss the issue of underwater internet cables in the Red Sea. The meeting was also attended by Salah Al-Wazir, the Director of Human Resources at the Maritime Affairs Authority.
At the meeting, Al-Durrah reportedly stressed the need to safeguard such cables, especially in view of the fact, he said, that "Internet is a necessary service for all countries, including Yemen." Al-Durrah also highlighted the need for Houthi authorities to cooperate with telecommunication companies which own cables, as well as to provide facilities to these companies in accordance with international law.
To point, Al-Durrah noted that 16 major international communications cables are in the Red Sea, including four which are within the territorial waters of Yemen. Any disruption to the service of such submarine cables, he said, is due to "the presence of American and British military naval vessels in the Red Sea, which are working to support the Zionist enemy in continuing its crimes of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."
For his part, Al-Washli confirmed that the Houthi Maritime Authority granted the relevant permits, licenses, and facilities to a cable maintenance company to conduct repairs on "cables which were exposed as a result of the presence of American and British military naval vessels in the Red Sea."
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