A preliminary investigation found that an unknown drone struck two vessels in the Damietta port on July 29, Reuters reported. No group has claimed responsibility. Authorities said they are taking steps to ensure national security.
Sources in the oil and gas sector told Reuters the drone struck the tanker Energos Winter, owned by a U.S. company, and that the ensuing fire spread to another vessel. UK maritime security firm Ambrey said the intended target may have been a floating storage unit for liquefied natural gas, owned by a U.S. company and operated under the Marshall Islands flag.
“A drone attack that targeted an Egyptian port on Wednesday could be a warning from Iran that its conflict with the United States can spread far beyond the current theater of war, a regional expert said,” CNN reported.
“It’s possible that the attack came through one of Tehran’s proxy militias rather than from Iran itself, H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said.”
On July 29, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a
“very strong” response to Tehran after an Iranian missile strike on a U.S. base
in Jordan. The same day, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia struck Iran-backed armed
groups in Iraq. U.S. Central Command said the United States also carried out strikes
on targets inside Iran.