NEW YORK, Jan 14: The US State Department on Tuesday determined that Israel's attack of a US warship in 1967 was an act of gross negligence for which it should be held responsible.

The State department revealed the conclusion after reviewing documents dating back 36 years during a two-day conference. The USS Liberty was attacked off the Egyptian coast on June 8, 1967, during the six-day war. The attack killed 34 Americans.

A State Department official said on Monday. "Everything that could possibly go wrong, on either side, did." The Israelis have always maintained the attack was a tragic accident.