The White House administration of US President Joe Biden has admitted to accidentally revealing the identities of a number of American special forces troops operating in Israel.
The troops are claimed to be members of the secretive US Army Delta Force unit, which primarily deals with counter-terrorism and hostage rescue missions. The US Department of Defence typically refuses to comment on the shadowy force or its activities publicly, and information regarding the group’s internal workings is strictly controlled. A number of these troops are reported to be currently stationed in Israel to assist in rescuing the 203 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th, some of which are confirmed to be American.
In a photo posted to the White House’s official Instagram account on Thursday during a visit to Israel, President Biden was pictured shaking hands with a member of the force, with a number of other Delta soldiers visible in the background with their faces clearly visible. Some of the soldiers’ distinctive tattoos are also visible, making these individuals clearly identifiable.
NOTE: Faces were not blurred in the original photo, which remained up for approximately an hour and received over 6,100 likes.
“In Israel, President Biden met with first responders to thank them for their bravery and the work they’re doing in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks,” the post’s caption read.
As a rule, Delta Force closely guards the anonymity of its members, hiding their names and faces for a variety of reasons. These include ensuring the safety of the soldiers and their families, as well as allowing them to engage in future undercover assignments.
The photo was up for around an hour and had received more than 6,100 likes before White House officials became aware of the problem and promptly deleted it.
“As soon as this was brought to our attention, we immediately deleted the photo,” a White House spokesman told the New York Post.
“We regret the error and any issues this may have caused.”
When asked by the Daily Mail about the presence of US special forces operators in Israel, a spokesman for the Pentagon said: “We are providing planning and intelligence support to the Israelis as it pertains to hostage recovery. That’s about the extent of what I’m able to provide right now.”
US Republicans were quick to slam the error, with Tennessee Representative Diana Harshbarger calling it an act of “gross incompetence.”