Meta closes Tel Aviv office amid Israel-Iran war, affecting nearly 1,000 employees: Report

Meta has temporarily closed its offices in Tel Aviv due to the ongoing Israel-Iran war, according to a report from The Information. The report states that the technology giant has approximately 900 employees in Tel Aviv who will be affected by the decision.

The Mark Zuckerberg-led company reportedly informed employees of the office closure in a memo: “We understand that not everyone has access to a shelter or safe room at home during these challenging times.”

“This has led to distressing experiences for some of our employees and we are looking for ways we can support you,” he added.

The company is said to have assured its employees that it would provide hotel accommodation (for up to 5 days) to people who did not have access to a bomb shelter.

Before the closure of the Meta office, it was reported that other technology giants also took action to ensure the safety of their employees and closed their offices in various regions of the Middle East. Nvidia has reportedly closed its offices in Dubai and asked its employees to work from home.

Meanwhile, Amazon has asked employees in the Middle East to work remotely and “follow local government guidelines,” according to a CNBC report.

Social media platform Snap also told the publication that it has asked employees in its four Middle East offices to work remotely.

Earlier this month, three Amazon Web Services (AWS) facilities, two in the UAE and one in Bahrain, were also hit by Iranian drone strikes.

Data centers suffered structural damage and went offline, while AWS applications such as virtual servers and database services experienced problems.

AWS had warned that recovery would ‘take a long time’ due to structural damage, loss of power and water damage. The company also encouraged customers to back up their data or move data to other regions.

Impact of Iranian attacks on Tel Aviv:

The Tel Aviv office is said to have been established by the company in 2013, focusing on research and development. The office is said to play a key role in creating technologies related to the development of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) products for the company.

According to the latest figures announced by the Israeli Ministry of Health, a total of 191 people were seriously injured in the last 24 hours in the ongoing conflicts with Iran. According to The Times of Israel, 2,339 people have been hospitalized since the war with Iran began on February 28.