Egypt reported on Thursday that a drone attack targeted two ships within its Mediterranean port of Damietta, as strikes on energy infrastructure expand across the Middle East.
Cairo indicated that preliminary investigations show the unmanned aerial vehicle assault on Wednesday ignited fires on the vessels, according to the official Egyptian Middle East News Agency. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The ignition points were located on a regasification vessel and a storage ship, per the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. The ministry stated in a declaration: "Through the coordinated efforts of the competent authorities and on-site firefighting and safety teams, the incident was promptly managed in accordance with the approved emergency and rapid response plan."
The attack, for which no party has claimed responsibility, occurs as Iran, its Houthi allies in Yemen, and Iraqi militia groups are broadening their strikes on energy infrastructure in the region. The United States launched a fresh wave of attacks against Iran on Wednesday, retaliating for an attempted missile strike by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on American forces in the Middle East.
On Monday, the Houthis claimed to have attacked a pipeline transporting Saudi oil to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. This pipeline has served as a crucial conduit for Saudi oil exports amid Iran's efforts to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz via oil tanker attacks. The Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia last week.
Simultaneously, Iran's militia allies in Iraq used drones this week to strike oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and eastern regions. In retaliation, US and Saudi warplanes conducted joint strikes on Iraqi militia forces on Tuesday.