Jeddah: Microsoft’s Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, the US tech giant says. Users of Azure, one of the world’s leading cloud computing platforms, would experience delays due to problems with internet traffic moving through the Middle East, the company noted.

According to BBC, Microsoft did not clarify the cause of the damage to the undersea cables, but mentioned that it had managed to reroute traffic through alternative paths. It emphasized that traffic “that does not traverse through the Middle East is not impacted.”

On Saturday, NetBlocks, an organization that monitors internet access, reported that a series of undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea had impacted internet services in several countries, including India and Pakistan. The Pakistan Telecommunication Company announced in a post on X that the cuts happened in waters near the Saudi city of Jeddah and warned that internet services could face disruptions during peak hours.

Undersea cables are susceptible to damage from anchors dropped by ships and have been targets of deliberate attacks in the past. In February 2024, several communications cables in the Red Sea were cut, affecting internet traffic between Asia and Europe. This incident occurred roughly a month after Yemen’s internationally recognized government warned of potential sabotage by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which denied any involvement.

In the Baltic Sea, undersea cables and gas pipelines have also been damaged in suspected attacks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this year, Swedish authorities seized a ship suspected of damaging a cable running under the Baltic Sea to Latvia, with prosecutors indicating potential sabotage.