Egyptian LNG Terminal Attacked by Suspected Houthi Drone Strike

On July 29, two liquefied natural gas tankers were attacked at the Egyptian port of Damietta, located on the Mediterranean coast. The attack appears to be a significant escalation of the regional conflict, and it remains unclear which members of the Axis of Resistance launched the strike.

The LNG terminal in Damietta was originally an export facility for Egyptian-produced gas but had reduced its volume available for export due to domestic demand. However, Eni and TotalEnergies recently reached a Final Investment Decision to develop the Cronos gas field in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone, which will be linked to Damietta via pipeline, restoring its function as an LNG export terminal.

The attack occurred at 14:20 GMT on Wednesday afternoon when two docked LNG tankers were struck simultaneously. Both impacts ignited fires, but local emergency services quickly managed to extinguish them, and no casualties were reported on either vessel.

The relatively limited impact of the explosive hits suggests a drone attack, with the warhead size apparently reduced to meet extended range requirements. This indicates that the drones were likely launched by the Houthis at a longer range.