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U.S. Assists in Israel's Hunt for Hostages and Hamas Leaders

(New York Times) Julian E. Barnes - Days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Pentagon quietly dispatched several dozen commandos to Israel to help advise on hostage recovery efforts, U.S. officials said. Those troops from the Joint Special Operations Command were quickly joined by a group of intelligence officers, some working with the commandos in Israel and others back at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. U.S. intelligence helped locate four hostages who were rescued by Israeli commandos in June. The U.S. military and intelligence cells also focused on hunting for the top leaders of Hamas. Defense Department officials have insisted that they are not directly supporting Israeli military operations on the ground in Gaza. But the search for top Hamas leaders was different. Earlier this year, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said the American military and spy agencies had gained expertise in finding high-value targets from hunting Osama bin Laden and other terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We're putting that experience to use and have been since the early weeks after Oct. 7," he said. At least six MQ-9 Reapers controlled by U.S. Special Operations forces have flown missions to assist in locating hostages, monitor for signs of life and pass potential leads to the IDF, U.S. officials said. The drones cannot map out Hamas's vast subterranean tunnel network - Israel is using highly classified ground-based sensors to do that - but their infrared radar can detect the heat signatures of people entering or leaving the tunnels from above ground. The Pentagon said Thursday that no U.S. forces had been directly involved in the operation that killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. But, American officials insist, the U.S. helped collect intelligence that helped the Israeli military narrow its search.
2024-10-20 00:00:00
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