Drone Strike at Damietta Port Sparks Regional War Concerns

A drone strike on July 29 at Egypt's Damietta port has caused a fire aboard two vessels, sparking concerns about regional war. The Egyptian cabinet confirmed that the incident was caused by a drone, but did not specify its origin. Hany El-Aasar, executive director of the National Center for Studies and a researcher specializing in security and military affairs, stated that the attack marked a departure for Egypt and severely damaged its economic interests.

The fire occurred on a US-owned floating storage and regasification unit, Energos Winter, and spread to another vessel, Gaslog Salem. The Egyptian government has taken measures to safeguard its interests and national security but has not yet identified the responsible party. El-Aasar pointed out that Egypt suspects Houthi involvement in the attack, as previous incidents targeting Israel may have led to accidental spillover.

However, Talaat Taha, a political analyst and expert on Arab affairs, expected a tougher response from Egypt and predicted that Cairo would take the case to the UN Security Council or strike the responsible party. If Iran were found responsible, it could jeopardize Egypt's diplomatic opening with Tehran. Shaffer, an energy expert at the US Naval Postgraduate School, attributed the strike to Iran and saw it as an effort to raise global oil prices ahead of the US midterm elections.