The Egyptian government said preliminary investigations showed that a fire aboard two ships at Damietta Port in northern Egypt was caused by a drone attack. The incident occurred amid an escalating military confrontation between the United States and Iran and growing regional tensions.
Egypt’s Cabinet said on Thursday, July 30, that the relevant authorities had brought the fire aboard the two ships under control, adding that initial investigations indicated a drone had caused the blaze.
The Cabinet said investigations were continuing to establish all the circumstances surrounding the incident and that the necessary measures were being taken to safeguard Egypt’s security and national interests.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack by the time this report was prepared.
Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced on Wednesday evening that a fire had broken out aboard a regasification vessel and a storage vessel at Damietta Port, without specifying the cause of the incident or the extent of the damage.
Reports of an Attack on a Gas Facility
Alongside the Egyptian announcement, British maritime security company Ambrey said, according to international media reports, that the drone attack had targeted a U.S.-owned floating liquefied natural gas storage facility operating under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Neither the United States nor the operating company commented on the reports. Egyptian authorities also did not confirm details concerning the type or identity of the two vessels.
Damietta Port is one of Egypt’s most prominent liquefied natural gas export ports and is playing an increasingly important role in energy trade across the eastern Mediterranean.
Trump Threatens Iran
Following the incident, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on what happened at Damietta Port, describing it as a “continuation of what we have seen before.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump added that the United States would “deal with Iran very forcefully,” appearing to hold Tehran responsible for the escalation without presenting direct evidence linking it to the Damietta Port incident.
Trump’s remarks came hours after the U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, announced a new wave of airstrikes inside Iran.
U.S. Strikes Inside Iran
CENTCOM said on Thursday that it had completed a series of strikes against targets inside Iran in response to what it described as Iranian attempts to target U.S. forces on Wednesday.
It said the strikes targeted dozens of sites belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, surveillance and coastal defense positions, and naval capabilities.
According to the U.S. command, the operation was intended to reduce threats posed by Iran and its allies to U.S. forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf states. CENTCOM said more than 50,000 U.S. troops were stationed in the Middle East.
Iran’s state broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, reported that a U.S. strike had hit a residential building on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, killing a two-year-old child and the child’s parents.
The United States did not comment on the Iranian account.
Jordan Says It Intercepted Missiles
In a related development, the Jordan Armed Forces, Arab Army, said on Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed five missiles traveling from Iran toward Jordanian territory.
In a statement, the military said air defenses had engaged the missiles early Thursday and that no casualties had been recorded.
This was the fourth time in four days that Jordan announced the interception of missiles or drones. It said it had shot down five missiles on Wednesday, intercepted one drone on Tuesday, and intercepted two drones on Monday.
Jordan’s announcement came hours after the U.S. strikes on Iranian territory, as concerns grew that the military confrontation could spread further across the region.
Continuing Escalation
The latest developments followed a period of relative calm after a 13-day round of military confrontation ended on July 24. The fighting involved exchanges of attacks between the United States and Iran, while facilities and military sites in several countries across the region were also targeted by missiles and drones.
Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18 and begun negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement. However, disagreements over guarantees for the security of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz stalled the talks and led to renewed military escalation.
The incident at Damietta Port has raised new concerns that the conflict’s repercussions could spread to energy facilities and shipping routes in the eastern Mediterranean. Military operations and hostile statements between Washington and Tehran are continuing, while responsibility for the attack on the two ships remains unclear.