State-owned Syria Telecom said services had returned to normal through the Tartus-Alexandria fiber-optic cable connecting the Syrian port city of Tartus with Alexandria on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

The restoration came two days after the company announced that the cable had been subjected to an “act of sabotage,” an incident that affected internet connectivity across several parts of the country and forced network operators to activate emergency contingency measures.

According to Syria Telecom, internet traffic was temporarily rerouted through alternative infrastructure, including the Ugarit Cable System, a 239-kilometer submarine connection linking Tartus with Pentaskhinos in Cyprus.

Authorities also relied on another communications route passing through Turkiye, which has been used by telecommunications provider CereTel to deliver internet services to users in Aleppo since the beginning of June.

Syria Telecom characterized the incident as part of a broader “systematic sabotage campaign” aimed at undermining critical national infrastructure, although officials did not provide details regarding the perpetrators or the precise nature of the damage.

The disruption highlighted the vulnerability of Syria’s telecommunications network as the country continues rebuilding after more than a decade of conflict that severely damaged public infrastructure and essential services.

Thirteen years of civil war have left significant portions of Syria’s banking, energy, transportation, aviation and water sectors weakened, creating substantial challenges for reconstruction efforts and economic recovery.

Digital connectivity remains a major obstacle. According to World Bank Group data, approximately 66 percent of Syria’s population still lacks internet access, placing the country among the least connected societies in the region.

In recent months, Syrian authorities have sought to modernize parts of the economy and financial system. Last year, the country introduced contactless payment technologies, marking a significant step toward reintegration with international digital and financial networks after years of isolation.

The latest disruption underscored the growing importance of undersea cable infrastructure to Syria’s communications network and the broader risks posed by attacks or technical failures affecting strategic telecommunications links in the eastern Mediterranean.

Syria Telecom said internet services were operating normally following the restoration of traffic through the Tartus-Alexandria connection.

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.