The attack on the Egyptian port of Damietta aimed to show that global shipping and energy supplies could be more deeply disrupted if Iran chooses to escalate the situation, the New York Times reported, citing two Iranian sources.The sources, however, did not say whether Iran or an Iran-allied militia in the region had launched the attack, or from where.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Egyptian government said Thursday that a fire the day before at the port of Damietta was caused by a drone attack, after authorities reported two gas ships were damaged by the blaze.Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said that Wednesday’s explosion had disrupted operations at a key LNG import hub, damaging the Energos Winter storage and regasification vessel and the GasLog Salem tanker.Egypt’s cabinet said in a statement that a preliminary investigation into the incident determined “it resulted from a drone,” noting no one had claimed responsibility.
It added that the inquiry was ongoing “to determine the circumstances of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt’s interests and national security.”Energy facilities elsewhere in the region have been hit by drones and missiles over the course of the Middle East war, but Egypt had previously been spared.Although the attack isn’t likely to affect global energy markets, by attacking ships in the Mediterranean, Iran could further disrupt trade, the report said.
