Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen could – literally – “paralyze” much of the world, potentially threatening almost 1/5 of the internet, according to the Daily Mail.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have been launching drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea since mid-November in what they describe as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war.

Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said today (6/2) that the Shiite movement will “further escalate” attacks on merchant ships if the Israeli military offensive in Gaza does not stop.

Specifically and according to the Daily Mail report, they could sabotage the internet cables in the Red Sea that carry almost a fifth of the world’s internet.

In particular, the Yemeni government warned that the Red Sea is “one of the three most important meeting points for cables” in the world and the Houthis pose a “serious threat to one of the most important digital infrastructures in the world”.

The threat came to light after a Houthi social media channel published a map showing the routes of various cables through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

The map was accompanied by the ominous message: “Yemen appears to be in a strategic location, as internet lines connecting entire continents – not just countries – pass through it.”

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There are warnings that the Houthis could act in such a way as to sabotage the Internet cables in the Red Sea that carry 17% of the world’s internet traffic. Some of the cables lie as little as 328 feet below the surface, sparking fears that the Iran-backed group could easily target them.

The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea on November 19 to support Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza. Since then, several dozen ships have caused major disruptions in global trade, about 12% of which pass through the Red Sea. The US and the UK have launched a massive campaign of airstrikes against them.

Now there are concerns that the Houthis could respond by targeting the Internet and the transmission of financial data.