Syrian internet access restored, state-run news says ‘optic cable malfunction’ caused outage

After Syria effectively disappeared from the internet yesterday, service appears to be restored. Google’s real-time transparency report shows that traffic is picking back up in the nation that’s been embroiled in civil war. The website for state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) also says that internet has been restored to the country. According to SANA, the outage was due to an “optic cable malfunction,” and CNN earlier reported that the government claimed to be working on repairs to restore service “as soon as possible.” Experts feared that the internet outage was an ominous sign for rebels, as it was possible the government purposely shut off communications in preparation for a large attack. Internet access was also cut off last year — an incident the government blamed on “terrorists.”