Egyptian navy vessel targeted by militants off Sinai's coast

CAIRO -- An Egyptian navy vessel was targeted Thursday by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group, who said they destroyed it with a rocket while it was anchored off the Sinai peninsula's Mediterranean coast.

Egyptian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir said the vessel caught fire in an exchange of fire with "terrorists" on the shore, and there were no fatalities among its crew members.

He did not say how much damage the vessel suffered and gave no details on the type of ship or the size of its crew.

However, security officials said an unspecified number of crew members suffered injuries from the fire, and several of them jumped overboard to escape.

The Egyptian IS affiliate, which calls itself the Sinai Province of the Islamic State, said it destroyed the vessel with a rocket.

Its claim of responsibility came in a statement posted on Twitter accounts known to be linked to the group.

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified, but it was accompanied by photos purporting to show what appears to be a rocket flying toward the vessel, a large explosion engulfing most of the boat and then black smoke rising up from the vessel.

A witness, fisherman Abu Ibrahim Mohammed from the neighboring Gaza Strip, said the gunboat was about a nautical mile off the coast when it caught fire.

He did not hear the explosion but saw two smaller boats trying to put out the fire, and a third, larger one arrived later and towed the burned vessel away.

The vessel, according to the security officials, routinely patrols Egyptian territorial waters and has been used to transport army and police personnel to mainland Egypt.