Amazon Web Services (AWS) has confirmed that two of its facilities in the United Arab Emirates sustained direct hits, while a third facility in Bahrain was damaged “in close proximity” by drone strikes, according to an update on the company’s cloud service dashboard on Monday.
The attacks caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery, and triggered fire suppression measures that led to additional water damage. Amazon said it is prioritizing the safety of personnel while coordinating recovery efforts with local authorities.
The strikes affected several AWS services, including EC2 compute, S3 storage, and DynamoDB databases. The company warned that the broader operating environment in the Middle East remains unpredictable and recovery is expected to be prolonged. Customers running workloads in the region were advised to back up data and consider migrating to alternate AWS regions.
Internal documentation reviewed by Business Insider revealed that one site, likely DXB62 in Dubai, suffered major structural damage, flooding up to 4 centimeters, and knocked 14 EC2 server racks offline. Cooling and air handling systems were also compromised, and access to the site was restricted.
A second facility, DXB61, shut down on Sunday after an indirect impact, with a small fire reported and strict entry restrictions enforced. A third site, DXB60, experienced a localized WiFi outage, but damage appeared minimal.
The disruptions coincide with heightened regional conflict following US military operations in Iran and Iranian missile activity targeting neighboring countries, including UAE and Bahrain, which has compounded operational risks for infrastructure and businesses in the region.
