Egyptian officials confirmed Thursday morning that the explosion at the Damietta port on the Mediterranean coast Wednesday evening was caused by a drone strike, directly contradicting earlier official accounts that attributed the blast to a fire on an older vessel. The confirmation comes after Iranian sources told the New York Times that the strike was a deliberate Iranian operation to demonstrate vulnerability in global energy shipping.
Egypt officially confirmed Thursday morning that the explosion at Damietta port on Wednesday evening was caused by a drone strike, reversing its earlier denial. At 08:22 Jerusalem time, the Egyptian cabinet announced that a preliminary investigation identified the blast as a drone strike, followed by confirmations from Egyptian authorities and sources. The development culminates a rapid sequence of events that began with the strike Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday evening, a drone strike hit a gas-loading terminal at Damietta port, damaging a U.S.-owned floating tanker. The Zioneer reported the strike at 19:59 Jerusalem, but Egyptian security sources initially denied an external attack, attributing the blast to a fire on an older vessel. Later Wednesday evening, at 22:45 Jerusalem, President Donald Trump said he was updated on the incident and vowed the U.S. would strike Iran 'very hard.' Overnight, two Iranian sources told the New York Times that the explosion was a deliberate drone strike designed to demonstrate Iran's ability to disrupt global shipping, and Iran subsequently claimed responsibility. By Thursday morning, Egypt's cabinet, authorities, and sources had all confirmed the drone strike, directly contradicting the initial denial.
The strike at Damietta, a key Mediterranean energy hub, underscores the vulnerability of global energy shipping as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate. The Zioneer reported Wednesday evening that the target was a U.S.-owned floating tanker and port infrastructure. No casualties were reported. The Iranian acknowledgment and Egyptian confirmation mark a significant escalation in the ongoing kinetic confrontation, with the Persian Gulf and eastern Mediterranean emerging as key theaters.
The origin of the drones remains unknown, and the investigation is ongoing. The full extent of damage to the port and vessels has not been independently verified. It is also unclear whether the U.S. or Israel will respond militarily to the attack.
7 developments
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- StrongAnalysis: Drone Strike on Egypt's Damietta Port 'Physically Impossible' Due to Sinai Radar Coverage
- DevelopingDiplomat tells Fox News Beirut strike aimed to sabotage Trump's Iran deal
- DevelopingUS aircraft strike targets in Iran after drone attack on American merchant ship
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