Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, the US tech giant says.

Users of Azure - one of the world's leading cloud computing platforms - would experience delays because of problems with internet traffic moving through the Middle East, the company stated.

While Microsoft did not clarify the cause of the damage to the undersea cables, it confirmed that traffic could be rerouted through alternative paths.

Over the weekend, reports indicated that these cuts have affected internet services in the United Arab Emirates and several Asian countries.

Cables laid on the ocean floor transmit data between continents and are often described as the backbone of the internet.

An update posted on Microsoft's website indicated that Azure traffic going through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea. However, it reassured users that traffic not traversing the Middle East remains unaffected.

On Saturday, NetBlocks, an organization that monitors internet access, noted that a series of undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea impacted services in various countries, including India and Pakistan.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company reported via social media that these cuts were located in waters near the Saudi city of Jeddah, cautioning that internet services might be impacted during peak usage hours.

Such undersea cables can be damaged by dropped anchors from vessels, but they have also been subject to deliberate attacks in the past.

Last February, multiple communications cables in the Red Sea were severed, significantly affecting internet traffic between Asia and Europe. This incident occurred shortly after Yemen's government warned that the Iranian-backed Houthi movement could target such infrastructure.

In the Baltic Sea, there have been several incidents of cable and pipeline damage under suspected sabotage since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this year, Swedish authorities detained a vessel believed to be involved in damaging a cable linked to Latvia.