CAIRO: Egypt’s Daesh affiliate said on Thursday it fired a rocket at an Egyptian naval vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Photographs distributed online by the group appeared to show a rocket heading toward a ship and setting it ablaze on impact.

It fired a “guided missile” at the frigate north of Rafah, which neighbors the Gaza Strip, in a statement reported by the SITE Intelligence Group.

It posted three pictures showing what appeared to be a guided anti-tank missile striking the vessel and causing a large fireball.

Other navy boats rescued the crew as their vessel spewed a plume of smoke, said an AFP photographer across the border in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian military said in a statement that a coast guard launch had exchanged shots with “terrorist elements,” causing the vessel to catch fire. It said there was no loss of life.

A Reuters witness in Gaza saw a plume of dark grey smoke rising from a boat off the coast. Other witnesses in the Palestinian enclave said they heard explosions and gunfire.

Military sources said the suspected militants had fled after firing on the vessel.