Why the world must take the threat to undersea cables seriously

In moments of tension in the Gulf, the world’s instinct is to watch oil. Tanker routes, prices, and supply disruptions dominate headlines. This focus is understandable; for decades, energy security has shaped global strategy.

But there is another system, far less visible yet arguably more critical, running beneath the same waters. It does not carry oil. It carries data.

Across the ocean floor, fiber-optic cables transmit more than 95 percent of global internet traffic. These cables connect financial markets, government systems, hospitals, logistics networks, and billions of everyday communications. They are, quite literally, the infrastructure of modern life.

And they are far more vulnerable than most people realize.

Unlike pipelines or oil terminals, submarine cables rarely feature in public debates about security. They are out of sight and, too often, out of mind. Yet their importance is difficult to overstate. Every email sent across continents, every international bank transfer, every cloud-based service depends on them.

The Strait of Hormuz is widely known as one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Less appreciated is its growing role as a digital corridor. Multiple high-capacity cables pass through or near this narrow stretch of water, linking Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.

This creates a........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)