In 1967, Israel purposefully attacked with unmarked jet fighters and torpedo boats, the USS. Liberty, an American Naval vessel patrolling near Egypt, even attacking the deployed life rafts of the ship. The attack killed 31 American servicemen and wounded over 170. The aim was to sink the ship, kill all the Americans and blame it on the Egyptians, so they could have American support to conquer larger areas of the Arab world. The U.S. Secretary of State and the navy chief Admiral said the attack on the USS Liberty by Israel was deliberate, however the all-powerful Zionist Lobby prevented a formal Congressional investigation. The US did not even reduce the billions of dollars of aid to Israel, and the story of the attack on the Liberty quickly vanished from the news after a few days.