Amazon Web Services (AWS) has reported physical damage to two of its data centres in the United Arab Emirates following drone strikes, disrupting cloud services for customers in parts of the Middle East. A separate facility in Bahrain also sustained damage from a drone strike in close proximity, the company said in an update to its service health dashboard.
The incidents occur against the backdrop of escalating regional conflict, following military actions by the United States and Israel against Iran. In a statement, AWS attributed the damage directly to the ongoing hostilities, stating, “Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, both affected regions have experienced physical impacts to infrastructure as a result of drone strikes.”
The company detailed that the strikes caused structural damage to its facilities, interrupted power supply, and triggered fire suppression systems that led to secondary water damage. While AWS confirmed the physical impact on its infrastructure, it did not specify whether any employees were injured. The company stated it is coordinating with local authorities and prioritising personnel safety during recovery efforts.
As the world’s leading cloud computing provider, AWS services underpin a vast array of websites, applications, and enterprise operations, including many artificial intelligence platforms. The disruption highlights the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure to geopolitical instability.
In initial reports on Sunday, AWS had noted that one UAE data centre was hit by “objects,” warning users of unpredictable service challenges. The subsequent update confirmed the nature of the incident as drone strikes.
For affected customers, AWS has advised immediate measures to safeguard their operations, including backing up critical data and temporarily migrating workloads to servers in other global AWS regions to maintain service continuity.
The attacks on the data hubs represent a rare, direct physical assault on the infrastructure of a major global technology firm. The incident underscores how regional conflicts can rapidly cascade into widespread digital service outages, with potential economic and operational repercussions far beyond the immediate conflict zone. AWS’s response focuses on restoring services while the broader implication for the resilience of cloud infrastructure in geopolitically volatile areas remains a significant concern for businesses worldwide.
