The West is afraid that the Houthi group will move from targeting ships to destroying submarine cables. The cables carry all data and financial communications between Europe and Asia.
An account linked to Houthi militants posted in late December - on the Telegram application - what appeared to be threats against dozens of fiber optic cables passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in western Yemen. The magazine wondered to what extent the Houthis are able to damage submarine cables, which are usually well fixed to the seabed.