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Microsoft says its Azure cloud platform is back to normal after a weekend outage caused by damaged undersea cables in the Red Sea. The disruption, which began Saturday morning, triggered service issues across the Middle East and left users experiencing higher latency throughout the day.
By Saturday evening, Microsoft confirmed it had rerouted traffic through alternate network paths, restoring stability for customers. While the company did not disclose how the cables were cut, it emphasized that such infrastructure is essential to global internet connectivity.
Subsea cables, which carry enormous volumes of data across continents, are vulnerable to both accidental damage, such as ship anchors, and deliberate attacks.
This is not the first time the Red Sea has drawn concern. In 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognized government accused the Houthi movement of intentionally cutting cables in the region, though Microsoft did not link the current incident to any group.
The company warned that while service has been restored, repairs to undersea cables often take time. Microsoft added that it will “continuously monitor, rebalance, and optimize routing to reduce customer impact in the meantime.”
