On Sunday (1st March), the cloud unit of Amazon, AWS, confirmed that power to its data centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was temporarily shut down after a fire erupted at the facility, with some ‘objects’ striking the facility.
The company did not confirm if the fire was sparked by Iranian missile and drone strikes. Amazon stated that the incident occurred at around 4:30 AM PST in one of its “Availability Zones”. These zones are separate, isolated locations within AWS regions. The company added that it took several hours to extinguish the flames and restore full connectivity. Amazon, however, confirmed that the rest of its data centers in the UAE are operational.
Notably, the tensions between Iran and the UAE have escalated after Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran. After Iranian airstrikes rocked parts of the United Arab Emirates amid the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East, the UAE on Sunday warned Iran against targeting its neighbours.
On 28th February, Iranian missiles hit several parts of Abu Dhabi, including the Al-Dharfa US Base in the Southern part of the city. Similarly, 5 major blasts caused by Iranian strikes shook Dubai, leading to the closure of its airspace, which left many passengers stranded. One of the blasts damaged the Dubai International Airport, injuring four people. Zayed International Airport in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi also suffered damage. The landmark Burj Al Arab hotel also sustained severe damage and was engulfed in flames after debris from an intercepted drone struck the building.
