ISIS missile torches and sink an Egyptian naval ship off Rafah

In a grave development in Egypt’s fight against terror in Sinai, ISIS Thursday sank an Egyptian Navy cruise and transport vessel off the Sinai shore of Rafah after setting in on fire. The Islamists said they used missiles, while the Egyptian army said the ship came under heavy fire from the shore. The vessel, able to carry 70 men and crew as well as freight, was used to transport police officers, soldiers and military supplies to the Egyptian forces fighting terrorists in northern Sinai. DEBKAfile: The fact that Egypt was moving in men and supplies by sea attests to extensive ISIS control of northern Sinai and its highways, which army has not been able to clean out. The Egyptian army denied casualties, but witnesses report the ship must have carried ordnance because it exploded quickly and no survivors were seen in the water.

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