“Red Sea Cable Cuts Cause Major Internet Disruptions Across Middle East and South Asia”

 

Internet Outages Sweep Middle East and South Asia After Red Sea Cable Cuts

Microsoft Confirms Disruptions

Internet services across parts of the Middle East and South Asia have been hit by disruptions after multiple undersea cables in the Red Sea were severed.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Microsoft said the incident began at 05:45 GMT on September 6 and has affected its Azure cloud platform, the second-largest in the world after Amazon Web Services. The company warned that users may experience slower speeds and higher latency when traffic routes through the Middle East but added that regions outside the affected routes remain unaffected.

“We will continue to provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change,” the company said.

Countries Affected

Independent monitoring group NetBlocks reported “degraded” connectivity in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the UAE, and India, with many users facing slow internet speeds and intermittent service.

The disruption has been traced to failures in the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In Pakistan, the telecom giant PTCL acknowledged the issue on social media, cautioning that users could see performance problems during peak hours while international partners work on repairs.

Fragile Global Infrastructure

Undersea fiber-optic cables carry the majority of the world’s internet traffic, with the Middle East acting as a vital link between Asia and Europe. Experts say the system is vulnerable both to accidents — such as damage caused by ship anchors — and to targeted attacks.

Earlier this year, Yemen’s internationally recognised government-in-exile accused the Houthi group of plotting to cut Red Sea cables. Several were damaged at the time, though the Houthis denied responsibility. On Sunday, the group’s Al Masirah TV cited NetBlocks in acknowledging the latest cuts.

Spotlight on Microsoft’s Ties to Israel

The cable outages have also revived scrutiny of Microsoft’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza. A joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call reported that Israel’s Unit 8200 cyber-intelligence division had been using Microsoft’s Azure cloud to store data, including intercepted Palestinian communications.

Microsoft has denied direct knowledge of the practice but confirmed it launched an internal investigation in August. Four employees were dismissed after staging workplace protests over the company’s ties to Israel.

Looking Ahead

Repairing undersea cables can be a lengthy process, often complicated by regional instability and harsh sea conditions. Analysts warn that the Red Sea’s strategic importance — both as a shipping route and an internet hub — makes it a recurring flashpoint for disruption.