The Egyptian cabinet announced Thursday morning that a preliminary investigation indicates the explosion at the Damietta port on Wednesday was caused by a drone strike, according to Israeli media reports. The finding reverses earlier Egyptian security denials of an external attack and aligns with claims by Iranian-linked sources to the New York Times that the incident was a deliberate operation to demonstrate Iran's ability to disrupt global shipping.
The Egyptian cabinet's announcement Thursday morning marks a significant shift in Cairo's official narrative. Earlier Wednesday, Egyptian security sources and the Petroleum Ministry had denied a drone attack, attributing the blast to a fire aboard an older vessel. The overnight explosion damaged a U.S.-owned floating LNG tanker at the Damietta port on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday, two Iranian sources told the New York Times that the explosion was a deliberate drone strike "intended to demonstrate that global shipping and energy supplies could be harmed more extensively if Iran chooses to escalate." The Iranian sources did not specify whether Iran itself or a regional proxy carried out the attack. The Egyptian cabinet's investigation now confirms the drone strike, though it has not attributed responsibility. The probe is ongoing, according to reports from N12 and ynet.
U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident Wednesday evening and vowed the U.S. would strike Iran "very hard," as The Zioneer reported. The episode underscores the vulnerability of Mediterranean energy infrastructure amid the ongoing regional confrontation between Iran and the United States.
7 developments
- StrongDrone reportedly strikes US gas facility at Egypt's Damietta port
- 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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