The White House Deleted Photo Showing Delta Force Faces in October 2023, Not Recently

Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading.

The White House has not deleted the photo of covert Delta Force teams operating inside Israel recently.

The White House Deleted a Photo Showing Delta Force Soldiers in October 2023

Contrary to the social media users' claim, the incident involving the White House deleting a photo showing the faces of Delta Force members is not recent. 

The photo was uploaded in October 2023 and instantly deleted because the White House Instagram manager failed to censor the faces of the special forces operators. 

The image pertained to the involvement of U.S. special forces in the immediate response to the events of October 7 in southern Israel.

Voz Media published a report on October 20, 2023, covering the White House’s apology after publishing the photo without blurring the faces of special forces members. 

The White House has apologized for posting the photo that revealed the faces of Delta Force special forces members during President Joe Biden's visit to Israel. The photograph, taken during a meeting with President Biden and first responders in Israel, was swiftly deleted.

"As soon as this was brought to our attention, we immediately deleted the photo. We regret the error and any issues this may have caused," a White House spokesperson said during a press conference reported by Fox News journalist Bill Melugin.

The photo's caption, later reposted by social media users, read: "In Israel, the president met with first responders to thank them for their bravery and the work they're doing in response to Hamas terrorist attacks."

Several citizens noted that the photo was available for at least an hour, garnering thousands of interactions and views before being removed. Typically, the faces of special forces members are blurred in such photos to protect their identities and ensure their safety.

Delta Force Deployed in Israel to Act Against Hamas

Delta Force is a secretive unit of the Army, widely regarded as one of the world’s premier special operations forces. Among all the assets assigned to special operations within the U.S. military, Delta Force is shrouded in the most stringent confidentiality. 

When Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer stated on Oct. 12 during MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the Biden administration was “not contemplating” deploying troops to Gaza to rescue the dozen or so American hostages captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 Operation into southern Israel, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) was already planning a rescue operation.

JSOC, which oversees special mission units like the Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment—Delta (commonly known as Delta Force) and the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, is responsible for the United States’ most sensitive national-level special operations missions. A special operations official told The High Side that the Defense Department had informed JSOC that the administration wanted to see “something” in terms of a plan of action to rescue the American citizens.

Over 400 French Mercenaries Fighting Alongside the Israeli Army

According to a report by the French network "Europe 1," 4,185 French-Israeli dual nationals have been recruited to fight with the Israeli forces in Gaza. The report has sparked a media uproar in France and abroad, based on the testimony of Ethan, a 22-year-old French mercenary in Gaza. Ethan, who joined the Israeli army two years ago, is currently fighting on the front lines in Gaza as a sergeant major in the elite forces.

In response, the French Minister of Justice called for individuals holding French nationality, including dual nationals, convicted of war crimes to be brought to French justice for trial on French soil.

Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for Hamas' military wing Al Qassam Brigades, said in December 2023, that Israel was using mercenaries in the war amid reports of foreign fighters joining the war on Israel's side.

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