White House apologizes for glaring national security blunder after publishing photo showing faces of US Special Forces as they met Joe Biden in Israel

The White House has been forced to remove a photo of President Joe Biden meeting with US special forces in Israel – which shows their faces and could have revealed their identities.

It was already known that a small group of American special forces is in Israel to advise on the possible rescue of dozens of hostages, including Americans, held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

The image of Biden shaking hands with them during his visit to Israel on Wednesday was published on the White House’s official Instagram page for hours and received thousands of likes and comments.

It appeared to violate Defense Department rules by revealing the men’s faces, which are usually blurred in officially released photos.

Joe Biden met with first responders in Israel, where he was also pictured with US special forces

The Pentagon’s daily practice is to conceal the identities of its elite units, whether they are in training or on the move.

The men, unshaven and bearded, wore camouflage and had American flags on their arms as they shook hands with Biden.

It happened at an event where the president met with Israeli medics who responded to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed hundreds of Jewish men, women and children.

The now-deleted Instagram post from the White House read: “In Israel, President Biden met with first responders to thank them for their courage and the work they are doing in response to Hamas terrorist attacks.”

The White House eventually apologized for the mistake in showing the faces of the special forces operators and removed the photo.

“As soon as this was brought to our attention, we immediately removed the photo,” a White House spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

“We regret the error and any problems it may have caused.”

Republicans condemned the blunder, with Republican Rep. Diana Harshbarger calling it “gross incompetence.”