Benjamin Netanyahu meets US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, December 14, 2023. (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)
However, the US intelligence ‘appears to have been secondary to what Israel collected on its own ahead of the operation.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The IDF operation last week that saw the rescue of 4 hostages from Gaza was accomplished with the help of precise intelligence, some of which came from US officials.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari described the mission and the “precise intelligence” required to carry it out.
According to The Washington Post, some of this intelligence was provided by US special operations and intelligence personnel working out of the embassy in Jerusalem.
A U.S. official describes the “very deep partnership” Israel and the US have in the effort to find and rescue hostages.
However, the Post also noted that the US intelligence “appears to have been secondary to what Israel collected on its own ahead of the operation.”
One report said that US intelligence included overhead imagery, but all spoke on the condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the information.
The US team at the embassy has been working since October 7th and has been sharing information provided about possible hostage locations from US drones.
“The United States is supporting all efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas, including American citizens,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
Of the hostages remaining in Gaza, less than 80 are believed to be still alive, and 8 of the captives are American citizens with 3 known to be dead.
US denied statements in some quarters that the US may be witholding crucial intelligence from Israel.
Jake Sullivan told reporters in May that the intelligence provided by the US to Israel is “not tied or conditioned on anything else. It is not limited. We are not holding anything back. We are providing every asset, every tool, every capability.”
However, other US officials expressed concern that the information the US is sharing with Israel to rescue hostages may also be used for airstrikes in Gaza, a strategy that the Biden Administration has frequently criticized.
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