Khaberni - Two Iranian sources revealed that the attack targeting the Damietta port in Egypt with a drone "aims to show that global shipping and energy supplies can be disrupted more broadly if Iran decides to escalate the confrontation", according to what was reported by the "New York Times".
The two Iranian sources did not clarify whether Iran or one of the militias allied with it in the region carried out the attack, or where the drone was launched from.
In contrast, Egyptian officials informed the "Wall Street Journal" that the Egyptian authorities initially held Iran responsible for the attack, considering it an attempt to expand the scope of the conflict, which indicates that "the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is more prepared to take risks, even with countries considered friends of Tehran," according to the Egyptian sources.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian government announced that preliminary investigations into the two fires that broke out on ships at Damietta port in northern Egypt on Wednesday evening showed they were caused by a drone, after the fires were controlled.
While no party has claimed responsibility for the attack, US President Donald Trump earlier hinted that Iran was behind it, without providing details, adding that the incident "is just a continuation of what is happening," and that the United States "will strike them very hard, because our turn has come".
The Egyptian authorities also confirmed the continuation of investigations to uncover the details of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt's interests and national security, according to a press statement issued by the Egyptian cabinet today.
Damietta port incident.. what happened?
An explosion at Damietta port on the Mediterranean Sea led to the outbreak of fires on two ships, one of them an American tanker for storing natural gas, according to companies specialized in tracking maritime navigation, in a development that expands the scope of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
However, the "New York Times" suggested that the attack will not have a significant impact on global energy markets compared to attacks in other regions of the Middle East, but considered that if Tehran expands its attacks to include ships in the Mediterranean, it could lead to further disruption of trade traffic, as shipping companies will have to reassess the risks of using Egyptian ports.
Video clips circulated on social media, verified by Reuters and the New York Times, showed fire tugs spraying water on the "Energos Winter" tanker inside Damietta port. The tanker is owned by investment funds managed by the American company "Apollo Global Management", which declined to comment, while it is leased by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS).
The other ship, a liquefied natural gas tanker managed by a Greek shipping company, said a spokesperson for the operating company that the explosion caused the fire, adding that investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the explosion.
