Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a significant service disruption in the Middle East after its data center in the United Arab Emirates was struck by unidentified objects, resulting in a fire. The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 PM Dubai time on Sunday, prompting the temporary shutdown of an entire “availability zone”—a cluster of data centers designed to provide redundant capacity.
According to official statements from AWS, emergency response teams cut power to the facility while firefighters worked to contain the blaze. The company also reported investigating connectivity and power irregularities affecting services in Bahrain. By Monday morning, a separate zone within the region was impaired due to what AWS described as a “localized power issue.”
Reuters cited a data center operator indicating that full restoration of services would require several hours, though other zones in the region remained operational. The incident coincides with a period of heightened military activity across the region, including Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting the UAE and other Arab states. These attacks came in response to earlier U.S. and Israeli operations that resulted in significant Iranian casualties, including the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the tragic bombing of a school in southern Iran that killed around 180 schoolgirls.
While the exact cause of the data center impact remains unclear, the timing raises questions about potential links to ongoing regional conflict. Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israeli and U.S. military assets located in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.