The Egyptian government announced on Thursday that the fire that broke out the previous day on two ships storing gas in the port of Damietta (north) was caused by a drone attack, the first of its kind against the country since the start of the war in the Middle East.

An American storage and regasification vessel and a Bermuda-flagged LNG carrier, owned by Greek interests, were hit by at least one unidentified drone, the UK-based private security company Ambrey had previously reported.

The Egyptian Presidency of the Council of Ministers stated in a press release that, following initial investigations into the incident, "it appeared that it resulted from a drone attack, without any party claiming responsibility."

She added that "the competent authorities are continuing their investigation in order to establish the circumstances of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt's interests and national security."

Missile and drone attacks, attributed to Iran or affiliated groups and targeting energy infrastructure in particular, have increased in the Middle East since the start of the war launched on February 28 by US and Israeli bombings against the Islamic Republic. Gulf countries and Jordan have been among the targets, but Egypt had so far been spared.

The maritime trade monitoring company Kpler indicated that the fire had disrupted operations at a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and damaged the storage and regasification vessel Energos Winter as well as the LNG carrier GasLog Salem.

The former head of the Damietta Port Authority, General Ayman Salah, told AFP on Wednesday that the regasification vessel was moored alongside the LNG carrier in the port. "The regasification process is carried out under very high pressure," he explained, emphasizing that any leak could cause a fire.