Internet disruptions in Middle East and South Asia after Red Sea cable cuts

After numerous undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, tech giant Microsoft, which has been criticized for its connections to Israel as its ongoing conflict with Gaza, reported Internet disruptions in the Middle East and South Asia, according to a statement released.

What caused the cuts, according to the statement from Sunday, was not provided in more detail.

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Microsoft stated in a status update that “network traffic passing through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.” The global software tycoon claimed that the cuts did not affect its second-largest cloud computing service, Azure, which is the second-largest in the world after Amazon. However, it added that network traffic was unaffected.

“Network traffic that travels through the Middle East is not affected.” If circumstances change, we’ll continue to provide updates daily or sooner.

Microsoft stated that the disruptions started on September 6 at 05:45 GMT.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and India all reported “degraded” internet connectivity, which the internet connectivity watchdog NetBlocks said “degraded” the access to slow speeds and sporadic interruptions.

According to NetBlocks, the connectivity issues were brought on by IMEWE and SMW4 cable failures close to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

One of the nation’s largest telecoms providers, Pakistan Telecommunications, warned customers on X that the nation “may experience some degradation during peak hours,” adding that its international partners were working to address the issue.

The internet’s backbone is made up of underground cables that transmit global data traffic. A crucial hub connecting Asia and Europe is the Middle East. They are susceptible to anchor damage from ships, but they can also be targeted in attacks that can disrupt them for a long period of time.

Yemen’s internationally renowned government-in-exile claimed in early 2024 that the Houthis planned to attack Red Sea cables. The Houthis denied being responsible for the cuts to several of them.

The Houthis’ Al Masirah TV channel, Al Masirah TV, cited NetBlocks as evidence on Sunday morning.

According to an investigation conducted by The Guardian, + 972 Magazine, and Local Call, Microsoft’s Azure has been storing information for the Israeli military, including intercepted Palestinian phone calls in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Microsoft has opened an investigation in August after discovering that Unit 8200, Israel’s cyber-intelligence division, was using its cloud services to access information obtained through widespread surveillance.