On Sunday, internet connectivity across Asia and the Middle East was disrupted after multiple subsea cables in the Red Sea were damaged.
NetBlocks Flags Outages From India To UAE
Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that subsea cables in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia were damaged, according to Reuters.
This has disrupted connectivity across Asia and the Middle East, with noticeable outages in India, Pakistan and the UAE, where Etisalat and Du networks were affected.
The damage was identified near Jeddah, though the cause remains unclear, the report said.
Microsoft Confirms Cloud Service Impact
Earlier on Saturday, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) said its Azure cloud customers may experience higher latency as traffic was rerouted around the Middle East.
Rising Maritime Risks In The Red Sea
The disruption comes amid escalating Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, which have driven war-risk insurance premiums to their highest levels since 2024.
In September 2024, the U.S. military denounced Houthi strikes on two crude oil tankers in the Red Sea, labeling them "reckless acts of terrorism."
At the same time, Iran—an ally of the Houthis—has seen its influence within OPEC decline, weakened by years of international sanctions and ongoing interference in Middle Eastern affairs.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
