Yemen's Houthis denied accusations related to a drone attack on a US-linked ship at Egypt's Damietta Port. The Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency reported that an official from the movement's foreign relations office described the claims as "baseless."
The attack targeted the US-owned floating storage vessel Energos Winter and the Greek-owned tanker GasLog Salem. Both ships were struck by a drone while anchored at the port, and fires broke out on both.
Responsibility Still Unclear
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Egyptian officials have not made any public accusations. This attack marks the first strike on Egyptian territory since the latest wave of tensions between the US and Iran.
The incident in Damietta signals a significant geographical escalation, with hostilities spreading from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. Security experts assess that the attack carries a strategic message aimed at demonstrating that US-linked assets are vulnerable even outside traditional conflict zones.
Analysts Offer Differing Interpretations
Professor Andreas Krieg of King's College London told AFP that the attack "may have been calibrated to damage a US-linked asset without killing Egyptians." Krieg stressed that Cairo would nevertheless view the incident with serious concern.
HA Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute noted that the attack took place approximately 1,300 kilometers from Iran and about 2,000 kilometers from Yemen. Hellyer said that due to this distance, it was unlikely to have been carried out by a drone launched directly from Iranian territory, and that instead the Houthis in Yemen or Iran-backed militias in Iraq may have conducted the operation.
Krieg, however, suggested an alternative scenario: a drone launched from Lebanon's Mediterranean coast could reach Damietta over the sea, avoiding Israeli and Egyptian airspace. Professor Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed of Cairo University argued that Lebanon's Hezbollah would avoid provoking Egypt, which has the largest army in the Arab world.
A Pressure Tactic Against Egypt?
Analysts believe the attack may have aimed to pressure Egypt, which has been trying to reduce regional tensions for months by keeping dialogue channels open with both Washington and Tehran. Krieg said, "I would not automatically interpret this as an attack on Egypt itself," noting that the operation was intended to show that US assets are vulnerable beyond the Gulf.
Hellyer warned that if an Iran-aligned group was responsible, it could damage Tehran's regional relations. "Cairo and others will view any attack on Egyptian territory by an Iran-aligned group as a severe escalation," Hellyer said, adding that such a development could have long-term diplomatic costs for Iran.
Security Concerns Grow in the Mediterranean
The attack has triggered new concerns about maritime security in the Mediterranean, which commercial traffic is increasingly using as an alternative corridor due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea since late 2023 had increased reliance on the Suez Canal and Egypt's energy infrastructure.
Former Damietta Port Chairman Major General Ayman Salah said that Egypt is increasingly relying on Damietta as an alternative energy import hub due to instability in the Gulf. The maritime sector, including the Suez Canal—one of Egypt's most important sources of foreign currency—has suffered significant economic losses since the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The spillover of hostilities into the Mediterranean poses a new threat to regional trade and energy security.
