ISIS says it destroyed Egyptian ship with rocket

CAIRO – The Islamic State's affiliate in Egypt's Sinai says it has destroyed an Egyptian navy vessel with a rocket off the strategic peninsula's Mediterranean coast. The claim of responsibility by the Sinai Province of the Islamic State, as the group calls itself, was made in a brief statement posted on Twitter accounts known to be linked to the group. Related Image An Egyptian navy vessel hoses down a ship which caught on fire. (AP) The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately 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. Egypt's military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, said in a statement earlier that the vessel caught fire in an exchange of gunshots on Thursday with "terrorists" on the shore.