Amazon AWS Data Center UAE: Amazon AWS UAE data center reports fire after ‘objects hit’, power connection stopped as Dubai, Abu Dhabi pounded by Iran strikes
When Reuters asked AWS whether the incident at its data center was linked to the attacks, the company did not confirm or deny it.
AWS said: “Around 4:30 PST, one of our Availability Zones (mec1-az2) was impacted by objects striking the data center, causing a spark and fire.”
According to the company’s website, an “Availability Zone” consists of one or more connected physical data centers. These regions are separate, isolated locations within each AWS Region.
AWS said the fire department cut off the facility’s power while crews worked to extinguish the fire. The data center operator said it would take several hours to restore connectivity in the affected area, adding that other regions in the UAE were operating normally.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has been selling itself to foreigners for years as a sunny, safe, tax-free oasis. That peaceful image was shattered on Saturday when Iranian weapons rained down on Dubai, setting fire to a five-star hotel, threatening the world’s tallest building and killing one person and wounding seven others at the airport in the capital Abu Dhabi.
Iran has struck the UAE and many of its neighbors as it retaliates for a massive offensive by US and Israeli forces, causing fear and chaos in a place that was predictably calm until Saturday. “This is Dubai’s ultimate nightmare, because its essence was based on being a safe oasis in a troubled region,” Cinzia Bianco, a Persian Gulf expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote to X. “There may be a way to be resilient, but there is no going back.”
Officials have sought to reassure residents and visitors that the country’s air defense system is among the best in the world by shooting down drones and missiles.
“I know this is a frightening time for many residents,” Reem Al Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, told CNN. “We don’t hear those loud sounds. But at the same time, those are intervention sounds. And the areas where the damage is occurring are primarily debris.”
The fallout from the attacks has undermined the Emirate’s efforts to reduce tensions with Iran, despite its long-standing suspicion of its Gulf neighbor. The UAE closed its embassy in Tehran on Sunday.
The oil-rich federation of seven sheikhdoms has relied on its image as a place of tranquility to attract wealthy tourists, businessmen and future residents who want to live in luxury by the sea in the desert, largely tax-free. Approximately 90 percent of the estimated 11 million population are foreigners.
Real estate firms are selling sparkling high-rises and poolside villas to wealthy Europeans and Americans by promoting a pleasant climate and business-friendly policies and touting it as one of the safest places on earth.
However, this reputation was later shaken by hundreds of drone and missile attacks.
