WASHINGTON – The Biden administration admitted Thursday that it had accidentally outed the identities of several US special operators working to help Israel find and rescue hostages taken by Hamas terrorists.
In one of the more egregious examples of the old adage, “loose lips sink ships,” the White House posted a photo to its official Instagram account of President Biden shaking the hand of a member of the Army’s elite counter terrorism unit.
Along with the service member Biden was greeting, the faces of three other Delta Force fighters could be seen in the photo.
The soldier shaking hands with Biden also revealed a distinctive set of tattoos on his right arm.
The revealing photograph was up for approximately an hour before officials were made aware of the problem, a White House spokesperson told The Post.
How celebrities, schools, and businesses have reacted to Hamas’ terror attack against Israel
- Colleges see clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters — here’s where major institutions stand
- Huda Beauty faces boycott calls after founder spurns ‘blood money’ from Israeli customers
- Top law firm rescinds job offers to Columbia, Harvard students over Israel letters
“As soon as this was brought to our attention, we immediately deleted the photo,” the rep said.
“We regret the error and any issues this may have caused.”
The photo received more than 6,100 likes, according to a screenshot that circulated on social media on Thursday.
Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel
The faces and names of special operators are kept secret to prevent identification by enemies if captured. Photos of Delta Force members are rare, and almost never include their faces.
Biden sent special operators to Israel last week to help “their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government.”
Israel-Hamas war: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.
2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early-morning ambush Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Terrorists killed more than 1,200 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200, and took at least 200 hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce, “We are at war,” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
The Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas — reported at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began.
The Israeli government has confirmed 203 hostages are being held by Hamas after the terror group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
The White House has confirmed that Americans are among that number.