One thing really has me puzzled and amazed: the apparent ineptitude of the Israeli attacks. If this came from the top, one would think the IAF would have studied up on aircraft vs. ship attack TTPs, such as those the Japanese used against the Prince of Wales in the Malaya Straits in WWII. The poor showing in these attacks inclines me to believe that this was an attack executed at a lower level on the orders of a field commander with the assets he had available, rather than a high level effort using the best availalble means in the entire IDF.
It was a short war, not a lot of time for planning, and probably a snap decision under pressure on the part of the Israeli leadership once presented with evidence of the ship's existence and capabilities. Even if well planned, this does not remove the possibility of incompetence --- if the Lebanon War did not remove the IAF's aura of invincibility, I'm not sure what will. The crew's injuries, testimony, and the repeated attacks certainly point towards intent and enthusiasm if not necessarily capacity.