US had no role in Israel operation that killed Hamas leader: Pentagon

U.S. forces were not involved in the Israeli operation that killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Thursday, though American intelligence has aided Israel’s search for the group’s leaders, according to the Pentagon.

“This was an Israeli operation. U.S. forces were not directly involved,” press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

“We’ve had a small number of special operations forces that have been advising the Israelis on hostage recovery efforts. That included working side by side with their Israeli counterparts to help locate and track Sinwar and other Hamas leaders hiding in Gaza who’ve been holding people, include Americans, hostage since Oct. 7 last year,” Ryder said, adding that the help “contributes, in general, to the picture.”

He referred further questions to the Israelis as to the details of the operation, calling it “a significant development and a major counterterrorism achievement.” 

His comment follow those of President Biden, who earlier Thursday released a statement on Sinwar’s death in which he said he had directed U.S. special operations and intelligence personnel to aid Israel’s hunt for Sinwar and other Hamas leaders in Gaza after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

“With our intelligence help, the [Israeli military] relentlessly pursued Hamas’s leaders, flushing them out of their hiding places and forcing them onto the run,” Biden said. “There has rarely been a military campaign like this, with Hamas leaders living and moving through hundreds of miles of tunnels, organized in multiple stories underground.”

The Biden administration is now trying to push for renewed cease-fire talks, with Sinwar’s death as the momentum.

“There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Biden said in a statement. “Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists.”

Later, after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Biden said the two “discussed how to use this moment to bring the hostages home and to bring the war to a close,” according to a readout of the conversation.