The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for its first attack on a naval vessel on Thursday, allegedly firing a missile at an Egyptian patrol boat.

ISIL’s Egyptian affiliate group says it shot a “guided missile” at the boat north of Rafah, in a statement on social media.

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The post shared three images of what seemed to be an antitank missile hitting the vessel, resulting in a large fireball.

Earlier, the military said one of its boats was on fire after being attacked while pursuing militants. There were no fatalities.

A photographer in the nearby Gaza strip said that other navy boats rescued the crew of the ship.

The ISIL group have attacked and killed scores of Egyptian soldiers and police since the army overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

The attack on the naval vessel, if confirmed, could be the extremest group’s maiden maritime attack.

Egypt claims to have killed more than 1,100 militants since Morsi’s overthrow.