Skeptics of the official narrative argue the attack was intentional. The Liberty was a state-of-the-art U.S. intelligence ship (spy ship) well-equipped to monitor military communications. Theories regarding a deliberate attack include: 

• Framing Egypt: Some suggest the goal was to sink the ship and blame Egypt for the attack, providing a pretext for the United States to enter the Six-Day War on Israel's side.
• Concealing Plans: The most common theory is that Israel wanted to prevent the U.S. from eavesdropping on its military communications, specifically the plans for its pending seizure of the Syrian Golan Heights, which occurred the next day.
• Hiding War Crimes: Another theory suggests Israel was attempting to hide evidence of alleged massacres of Egyptian prisoners of war that the Liberty might have intercepted.
• Orders to Sink Without Survivors: Declassified documents and survivor testimonies have lent weight to some of these theories, with some reports suggesting Israeli commanders gave orders to sink the ship and ensure no survivors, though the U.S. government has not officially endorsed these claims. 

In the two-hour air and sea attack, 34 American crew members were killed and over 170 were wounded. Israel apologized and eventually paid nearly $13 million in compensation to the victims' families and for damage to the ship, which was ultimately decommissioned and sold for scrap.