Microsoft has disclosed that an accident involving a submarine cable in the Red Sea has disrupted its Azure cloud services. The incident has led to traffic congestion passing through the Middle East, subsequently causing increased latency for Azure users. Although Microsoft has managed to reroute the traffic, it has not yet provided an explanation for the cause of the accident. This disruption has also had repercussions in regions such as the UAE, India, and Pakistan. According to Pakistan Telecom, the accident took place in the sea area near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and cautioned that internet services could be affected during peak usage hours. Submarine cables are susceptible to damage from various sources, including ship anchors and intentional attacks. In February 2024, several communication cables in the Red Sea were severed, which once had a significant impact on internet traffic between Asia and Europe.