The USS Liberty was a U.S. Naval research ship that came under attack by Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats during the events of the Six-Day War in 1967. The attack would result in the deaths of 34 crew members and 170 wounded.
To this day, a great deal of controversy exists over whether the attack on the Liberty was premeditated or merely an accident. Recent revelations indicate certain members of the U.S. government were never fully satisfied with Israel’s explanation of the incident. The Israeli government maintains the attack was caused by a chain of mistakes in which the ship was incorrectly identified as an enemy vessel, possibly a destroyer or an Egyptian cargo ship. Israel further asserts that there would be no rational reason for Israel to attack its most important ally deliberately. The U.S.’s official position during the Six-Day War was one of neutrality and the Liberty’s primary mission was to observe and collect information. Some groups maintain the charge that the Liberty was possibly attacked for its role in intercepting Israeli military communications. Regardless, Israel would eventually go on to apologize for the incident as well as pay reparations. The U.S. and Israeli governments formally dropped the matter in 1987.
The USS Liberty was a U.S. Naval research ship that came under attack by Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats during the events of the Six-Day War in 1967. The attack would result in the deaths of 34 crew members and 170 wounded.
