It is not the practice of Israel to inform foreign nations of its special forces' operations nor is it informed of such operations when they are carried out by others.
Special operations carried out behind enemy lines or far from Israel's borders, involve not only physical danger to the fighters but also the possibility that their mission could fail or be exposed, causing untold damage to the country and its international standing.
Special forces operate with surgical precision and when a ship is targeted, it is no accident when it suffers damage but does not sink.
Every mission is considered carefully before it is given the green light. Only a small number of people are in the know, allowing for plausible deniability should it be needed.
Secrecy is a tool and divulging Israel's special operations not only reveals methods that can then never be repeated, but also invites a response from the enemy that had been targeted and humiliated.
Therefore the New York Times report this week that Israel had informed the U.S. of its attack on an Iranian vessel in the Red Sea was grave, but this is not the first time that someone in Jerusalem has informed the Americans of actions taken by Israel, and those American officials then informed the press.
There is no justification for such behavior on the part of those tasked with protecting Israel's national security interests in hopes of gaining personal advantage.
This inexcusable practice began with the public revelation that the Iranian nuclear archive had been stolen from Tehran and brought to Israel.
Now the operations of Israeli commando forces in the Red Sea has been divulged as well.
The NYT report tells us that the Israeli Navy has been targeting Iranian oil tankers and vessels smuggling arms to Syria for more than two years, and that thus far more than 20 Iranian ships have been hit.
When a vessel carrying military equipment or oil meant to finance hostile activity in Lebanon or Syria is detected, it must be stopped. The further away from Israel that this action can take place, the better.
Such an operation would evidently require a constant presence in the area, to collect intelligence and carry out surveillance in real time. High-level officials are often present on the scene to sanction the missions.
Since these operations are in the grey area of international law, they do carry with them the potential for diplomatic repercussions.
Given the complexity of such an operation, it is overambitious to attribute any kind of political sophistication to the timing of the latest attack on an Iranian vessel, which came as world powers met with the Iranians in Vienna to discuss a U.S. return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
According to the New York Times, Israel struck a command center belonging to the Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Red Sea.
The vessel, the paper said, was carrying logistical and military equipment, oil, commando forces and more, and was used a launchpad for operations while masquerading as an innocent cargo ship.
The report claimed that Israel was "punishing" Tehran for attacks that had originated from that vessel against an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman in February.
Such leaks are dangerous. Perhaps the Israeli official who informed an American official who informed the New York Times will not be satisfied until an Israeli vessel is blown up entirely or until the situation explodes into a real military confrontation.