Egypt concerned by escalation: UAV attack at Damietta port

Egypt's concerns in recent weeks have been mainly about a scenario of regional escalation leading to the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthis, Iran's proxies in Yemen. Yesterday, Cairo suffered an escalation from another direction when a UAV was directed at the port of Damietta on Egypt's northern coast.

Last night, it was reported that an explosion occurred on two gas tankers in the port. Reuters claimed it was a UAV attack, and this morning the New York Times quoted two Iranian officials who added that the attack "was intended to show that if Iran chooses to escalate the situation, it is possible to cause even more severe damage to global energy supplies and shipping." The officials did not specify whether Iran or a pro-Iranian militia was responsible, and no claim of responsibility has been published so far.

Cairo did not initially report that it was an attack. Official reports from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources spoke of a fire that broke out on ships in the port, which was handled immediately. This morning, a statement from the Egyptian government confirmed that initial investigations revealed the fire was caused by a UAV. Authorities stated they "are continuing investigations and taking the necessary measures to protect the interests and national security of Egypt." Cairo is not emphasizing the incident in Damietta, which did not appear on the front pages of the country's newspapers this morning.

Although no official Iranian claim of responsibility has been published, the attack fits a threat from Tehran published in recent days—a map distributed by Iranian television highlighting European interests in the region. As part of the possible targets on the map, the Damietta area appeared with a caption in Persian: "Production capacity of 5.2 million tons of liquefied gas per year. Gateway for gas export to Europe."