Blackdot has recently examined the claim that Yemen's Ansar Allah plans to cut off 99% of the world's internet following the circulation of the news on different social media platforms, and eventually refuted it and confirmed its falsity.

Claim: A 'Houthi' attack on Red Sea fiber optics cables?

On December 24, several platforms claimed that an Ansar Allah-affiliated Telegram channel shared a photo of the seabed that contains submarine cables that connect several regions of the world and supply them with internet.

The photo was captioned: “There are maps of international cables connecting all regions of the world through the sea. It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents — not only countries—pass near it.”

Once news platforms and users obtained the photo, claims were made accusing the Yemeni Armed Forces of threatening to cut off the world's internet supply in support of Gaza amid the Israeli genocide, and the US' targeting of Yemen in support of "Israel". 

Tracing back to the source of the news, it was found that the Middle East Media Research Institute was behind the spread of the claim, an American organization that has been explicitly pro-'Israel'.

Nothing to back it

The Middle East Media Research Institute is the only original source that kickstarted the frenzy, while other social media platforms only circulated the piece with no substantial evidence that proves its legitimacy, primarily proving its fallacy. 

The second indicator was the absence of a tangible connection between the Telegram channel and Ansar Allah, as well as the absence of an official statement from their side. The news solely relied on a theory that was meant to stir tensions. 

The third indicator was the direct rejection of the claim itself by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology of Yemen. Only two days after the American research institute made its claims, the Yemeni ministry released a statement denying the accusations and asserting that Yemen intends to keep the cables secure.

Therefore, this rids the initial claim of any validity. 

Press Release Issued by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, on the Submarine Cables- Republic of Yemen- Sana’a pic.twitter.com/wRgNi6dekA

— TeleYemen (@teleyemen_ye) December 26, 2023

A result of losses against the steadfast Ansar Allah

This comes as Ansar Allah fights off genocide enablers in the Red Sea in support of Gaza. Even after Ansar Allah was listed as a terrorist organization, Yemen was not deterred. 

In response to the decision to designate the Ansar Allah as a Global Terrorist, the head of the movement's Negotiating Envoy and top official, Mohammad Abdul-Salam said that the US has used the designation for "political purposes."

He slammed the decision, emphasizing that it "will not deter [Yemen] from our steadfast support for the Palestinian people."

The official underlined that the decision will have minimal to "no effectiveness on the ground," adding that it will only "strengthen [Ansar Allah's] commitment to supporting" Palestine.

Ansar Allah's Politburo released a statement responding to the decision saying that the classification "is ironically amusing, coming from the global state of terrorism." The committee said that its decision is "an honorary badge," highlighting the group's "supportive stance toward the Palestinian people."

Read more: Yemen will continue to target Israeli-linked ships: Ansar Allah spox