On June 8, 1967, the USS Liberty, a US intelligence-gathering ship, was attacked by Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats. At the time of the attack, the USS Liberty was in international waters, more than 25 miles from the coast of the Sinai Peninsula. 34 crew members were killed and more than 170 were injured.
Dead In The Water - The Sinking of the USS Liberty (Documentary)
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The Law of Neutrality
The Commander's Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations
Chapter 7 The Law of Neutrality
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Passive intelligence collection missions such as the one carried out by the USS Liberty, while perhaps provocative, generally do not warrant an aggressive response by the target country. The potential consequences of attacking a warship of another nation, including escalation into war, are sufficiently grave as to warrant a response other than armed attack. The emissions collected by the ship emanate from the target country itself and collection of these emissions does not involve the penetration of the sovereign territory of the target country.
If a signal is susceptible to interception, one must assume that the technology and the will to intercept these signals exists.
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Intelligence-gathering ships and missions reported in the press
Soviet Spy Ship Waiting To Observe Trident Test
U.S. intelligence gathering ship enters Sevastopol harbor (2008)
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Lieutenant Commander Walter Jacobsen, A Juridical Examination of the Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty, 36 Naval Law Review 69-120 (1986)
___________________________________________Joint Chiefs of Staff Report
US Naval Court of Inquiry Report
USS Liberty Messages (released by the National Security Agency)
