Syria reports ‘sabotage’ of undersea cable linking Tartous and Alexandria, disrupting internet services

Cairo- Syria’s state-owned telecommunications operator said an international undersea cable between Tartous and Egypt’s Alexandria was subjected to what it described as an “act of sabotage,” causing widespread disruption to internet services across the country, according to state media cited in a Reuters report.

Syrian Telecom told the state-run news agency SANA that repair work on the submarine cable system would take time and warned that full restoration of services would not be immediate.

The operator said the incident formed part of what it called a broader “systematic sabotage campaign” targeting Syrian infrastructure, though no further evidence or attribution was provided in the report.

The damaged cable is part of an international undersea network intended to connect 12 countries across North Africa and southern Europe, underscoring the strategic importance of subsea communications infrastructure in the region.

Authorities did not provide details on the cause of the disruption or indicate when service might be fully restored, and independent verification of the circumstances was not immediately available.

The incident adds to a series of reported disruptions affecting Syria’s telecommunications infrastructure in recent years, amid broader challenges to the country’s connectivity and reconstruction efforts following prolonged conflict.