CAIRO: A navy vessel off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt’s Rafah caught on fire after an exchange of fire with militants on the coast, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said in a Thursday statement.
No casualties among the servicemen occurred, and military support has arrived at the scene to comb the area, Samir said.
The incident occurred at 9:30 Thursday morning, when navy officers on the launch detected “suspicious movement” on the coast and pursued “suspected terrorists,” leading to the exchange of fire.
The ship has been used to transport army personnel to mainland in Egypt to avoid travelling by land through Sinai, where militants frequently attack carriers.
This is not the first time an Egyptian navy ship has been attacked in the Mediterranean.
In November, a launch patrolling the shores of Damietta in the Mediterranean was attacked and eight sailors were killed, according to military spokesperson Mohamed Samir.
On the other hand, Egyptian naval sources told Lebanese news website Al-Modon that navy officer Ahmed Amer hijacked the launch, announcing it was “the Islamic State Launch” to the naval base.