Red Sea Cable Cuts Disrupt Internet Across Asia and the Mideast as Azure Reroutes Traffic
- On September 6, 2025, Microsoft reported increased latency for Azure users due to multiple undersea fiber optic cable damages in the Red Sea affecting Middle East routes.
- The disruption followed previous damage to undersea cables earlier this year and took place amid ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Yemen's Houthi rebels, although the precise cause has yet to be determined.
- The outage impacted internet connectivity in countries including India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, with operators like Du and Etisalat confirming slower speeds and disruptions.
- Microsoft successfully rerouted network traffic by Saturday evening and restored full Azure service by September 7, 2025, but users will face increased latency until repairs finish; Moammar al-Eryani called it a "wake-up call for the international community."
- This event highlights the vulnerability of digital infrastructure in geopolitically sensitive regions and underscores the need for international efforts to protect critical subsea cables essential for global connectivity.
266 Articles
266 Articles
Two major connections from Marseille seem to have been sabotaged in the Red Sea. Reparations will take several weeks.
Undersea cable cuts kill internet to parts of Asia, Mideast
Undersea internet cables in the Red Sea have been cut, disrupting internet access to parts of Asia and the Middle East. The cause of the cuts weren't immediately clear, though China does have a shiny new deep-sea cable cutter (which we're sure a bunch of countries have too). Associated Press (via NBC) seems to think ('there has been concern') that Houthi rebels from Yemen have been targeting the cables, which sounds absurd - though parts of the …
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