IS claims to destroy Egyptian warship with rocket

The Islamic State terror group on Thursday claimed responsibility for firing an apparently guided rocket at an Egyptian warship in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Rafah.

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The group claimed that the ship was destroyed and troops killed, but there was no official confirmation.

Sequence depicting the rocket approaching and hitting the ship

Photos showing the incident could be found on social media sites after the attack. Palestinian sources said earlier Thursday that an Egyptian ship was on fire after an explosion whose cause was unclear.

Smoke billows from the Egyptian ship (Photo: AFP)

An Egyptian military spokesperson issued a statement reporting exchanges of fire between naval forces and terrorists.

According to an Egyptian military statement, navy vessels guarding Egypt's shores noticed suspicious terrorist activity along the coast, chased after them, and exchanged fire.

The military said this caused the ship to catch fire, but added that no one had been killed.