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The White House is facing backlash over potentially compromising U.S. soldiers' identities after posting a photo to Instagram featuring President Joe Biden and a group of American troops deployed in Israel.

In the since-deleted post, which was screen-shotted and shared to X, formerly Twitter, by Sam Shoemate, a self-described intelligence analyst, Biden is photographed shaking hands with American troops standing among U.S. and Israeli flags. The caption on the post reads that the president "met with first responders to thank them for their bravery and the work they're doing in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks."

According to Shoemate, the photo was up on Instagram for roughly an hour and had "hundreds of thousands" of views before the White House social media team deleted the post. The original picture also did not blur or censor the faces of the American soldiers in the frame. Shoemate's post to X blocked out the troops' faces.

Newsweek was unable to track down the purported deleted picture on Instagram, but a broken Facebook link contains the same caption as the one shown in Shoemate's screenshot. When clicked on, the page says that the content "isn't available right now."

Shoemate also claimed that the soldiers in the picture were Delta Special Operation forces. Newsweek was unable to substantiate this claim.

Jack Posobiec, editor of the conservative political news site Human Events, also wrote on X, "Biden just doxxed the special forces team he sent to Israel to help free the hostages." Posobiec did not share a photo along with his post.

A request for comment via email by Newsweek has not been returned by the White House on Thursday. When reached by phone, the Department of Defense referred Newsweek to the National Security Council.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has stepped up its presence in Israel following the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The New York Times reported Sunday that in addition to expanded firepower capabilities being deployed to the Middle East, the Pentagon has also sent a small team of Special Operations forces to Israel to "assist with intelligence and planning" in efforts to rescue the 150 hostages held by Hamas.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said during a press briefing Saturday that he directed the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to begin moving toward the eastern Mediterranean "to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war."

The Air Force is also sending additional attack planes to the Persian Gulf region, the Times reported, citing military officials. The extra aircraft will double the number of F-16, A-10 and F-15E squadrons on the ground in the region.

Biden traveled to Israel on Wednesday, marking the first time a U.S. president has visited the country during wartime. The roughly seven-hour trip included a meeting with Israeli leaders, first responders and the family members of victims of the October 7 attack.

At the end of his visit, the president also offered a warning to Israel to not let anger dictate its response to the Hamas attack. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called for a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, and the country's ground troops have been told to "be ready" to invade the region, according to a report from the Associated Press (AP).

"I understand. Many Americans understand," Biden said, according to AP. "But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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