The Iran war expanded on Thursday, July 30th, 2026, as Egyptian officials confirmed that an unidentified drone was responsible for a fire at the Mediterranean port of Damietta. This incident marks the first attack on Egyptian soil since the conflict began in late February and highlights the rapid expansion of hostilities since fighting resumed earlier this month.
Egyptian authorities reported that a preliminary investigation identified a drone attack as the primary cause of the fire, which affected a Singapore-flagged liquefied natural gas vessel docked at Damietta, with the fire spreading to a second nearby vessel. The north Egyptian port city of Damietta is located about 40 miles west of Port Said, at the northern end of the Suez Canal on the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed another round of strikes on Iranian military infrastructure overnight. According to a CENTCOM statement posted on social media, these attacks aimed to "further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries."
Contrasting CENTCOM’s account, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that the strikes killed several U.S. military personnel and destroyed three F-35 fighter jets, though this claim remains unverified.
In related developments, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced that officials from 43 nations attended a meeting in Riyadh on Thursday. Fourteen countries, led by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan, signed a joint declaration endorsing a naval coalition.
Public opinion remains divided, with pollsters reporting that 23% of respondents believe the U.S. should continue military action, while another 23% think it should cease attacks.
Loading comments.