Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a service disruption following an incident where objects struck a data center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), resulting in a fire.
The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. Dubai time Sunday, affecting services at the regional data center. The local fire department shut off power to the facility to control the blaze, AWS stated on its website. In another update, AWS mentioned it was investigating connectivity and power issues in Bahrain.
It remains unclear if the UAE incident is related to ongoing regional conflicts, but it coincided with reports of Iranian projectiles hitting the UAE. This followed U.S. and Israeli strikes resulting in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others.
AWS reported, “One of our Availability Zones… was impacted by objects that struck the data center, creating sparks and fire.” An update at 10:46 a.m. Dubai time Monday noted a different data center zone was affected by a ‘localized power issue.’ An AWS representative declined further comment.
Iran’s retaliation has affected the Middle East, including missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases and allies in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
AWS clients in the UAE include Al Ghurair Investment and Dubai Islamic Bank. The company operates 123 data center zones across 39 regions globally.
