Netanyahu’s defiance of Biden-Harris Rafah invasion threats led to elimination of Sinwar, experts say

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to disregard dire warnings from President Biden and Vice President Harris not to conquer the past large stronghold of Hamas terrorists successful Rafah proved to beryllium correct, according to subject and Middle East experts.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the country’s Shin Bet quality agency announced Wednesday that "soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the person of the Hamas violent organization, successful an cognition successful the confederate Gaza Strip."

Biden and Harris congratulated Israel implicit the death of the Hamas panic chief, but, earlier this year, some warned Israel astir going into Rafah, wherever Sinwar met his end.   

HAMAS ADMITS 'PAINFUL, DISTRESSING' LOSSES AFTER ISRAELI VIDEO SHOWS TERRORIST SINWAR MOMENTS BEFORE HIS DEATH

IDF forces operating successful Rafah, a metropolis successful the Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesman's Office)

Sinwar oversaw the massacre of astir 1,200 radical Oct. 7, 2023, including implicit 40 American citizens.

In March, Harris declined to regularisation retired "consequences" for Israel if it moved guardant with an penetration of Rafah successful Gaza.

"We person been wide successful aggregate conversations and successful each mode that immoderate large subject cognition successful Rafah would beryllium a immense mistake," Harris told ABC News astatine the time."Let maine archer you something. I person studied the maps. There's obscurity for those folks to go."

Also successful March, Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan echoed Harris’ warning. 

"Our presumption is that Hamas should not beryllium allowed a harmless haven successful Rafah oregon anyplace else," Sullivan noted during a White House Press briefing. "But a large crushed cognition determination would beryllium a mistake. It would pb to much guiltless civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy successful Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally."

President Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu successful the Oval Office astatine the White House July 25, 2024, successful Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

In May, Biden went arsenic acold arsenic threatening Israel, saying helium would not furnish the Jewish authorities with weapons if it entered Rafah. Biden told CNN "if they spell into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that person been utilized historically to woody with Rafah, to woody with the cities — that woody with that problem."

Amit Segal, main governmental expert of Israel's Channel 12, told Fox News Digital, "The elimination of Sinwar proves that the continuation of the warfare was not a whim, the introduction into Rafah was not a vendetta and the refusal to surrender to Hamas to resoluteness the bluish beforehand was not a rash decision.

"There is simply a strategy, and it is to ensure, beforehand by front, that the full Middle East sees what happens to those who onslaught Israel."

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ISSUES WARNING TO NETANYAHU AS ISRAEL HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING ON GAZA AID

Yahya Sinwar, center, the precocious person of Hamas, during a ceremonial for members killed by Israeli aerial strikes astatine Yarmouk Stadium May 24, 2021, successful Gaza City, Gaza.   (Laurent Van der Stockt/Getty Images)

New accusation emerged astir the elimination of Sinwar Friday. An IDF spokesperson said "Sinwar’s main extremity was to hitch Israel disconnected the map. This cognition accomplishment is 1 fragment retired of a one-year endeavor" successful Gaza. 

He said Sinwar was successful the "same passageway wherever six hostages were executed" successful August.

One of the six hostages murdered was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.  

"We recognize Sinwar was successful that area; a fewer 100 meters from that passageway is wherever helium was eliminated," the IDF spokesperson noted, adding determination are "indications of elder Hamas leaders successful Rafah area." 

There are 14,000 occurrences of Hamas booby-trapped buildings successful the Rafah area, the IDF spokesperson added.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, points astatine a representation of the Gaza Strip during a property league astatine the Government Press Office successful Jerusalem Sept. 4, 2024.  (Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

"Had Prime Minister Netanyahu listened to Biden and Harris and not entered Rafah, we whitethorn person ne'er reached Sinwar. The radical of America and Israel overwhelmingly supported our introduction into Rafah and privation to spot Hamas committed to the annals of history. Now it's clip to decorativeness Hamas and bring location the hostages," Israeli Lt. Col (res) Yoni Chetboun, erstwhile lawman talker of the Knesset and a decorated peculiar forces operator, told Fox News Digital.

ELIMINATION OF SINWAR IS ‘SIGNIFICANT AND PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY FOR CEASE-FIRE, STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS 

Harris’ misjudgment astir the crushed warfare successful Gaza sparked immoderate aggravated disapproval and ridicule connected societal media from overseas argumentation experts. American-Israeli Middle East adept Caroline Glick, wrote connected X, "Sinwar was killed successful Rafah — a mile from the Egyptian border. Kamala threatened Israel with sanctions if we went in. Oh, and she studied the maps." 

The run by the U.S. authorities and the European Union to enactment successful Israel’s propulsion to eradicate the Iranian regime-backed violent movements, Hamas and Hezbollah, has truthful acold not seemed to interaction Netanyahu's warfare plans.

Josep Borrell, the left-wing European Union's foreign argumentation main who suggested successful February that the United States slash subject assistance to Israel, said astatine the time there was nary subject solution to decision Hamas. 

Protesters rally extracurricular the Defense Ministry against the authorities and to amusement enactment for the hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 onslaught amid the ongoing struggle successful Gaza betwixt Israel and Hamas successful Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 1, 2024. (Reuters/Florion Goga)

Max Abrahms, a starring adept connected counterterrorism and a tenured professor of governmental subject astatine Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital, "Biden and Harris person been basing their proposal to Netanyahu connected American governmental calculations. The White House is keenly alert that the Democratic Party has a beardown anti-Israel constituency. For this reason, the White House has tried to coerce Netanyahu to retreat Israeli forces from Gaza earlier the Hamas menace is afloat handled and specifically against a Rafah operation.

"Had Netanyahu heeded that advice, Sinwar would beryllium alive. Israel is safer for ignoring this White House, an important acquisition arsenic Netanyahu weighs subject options against Iran."

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Following quality of Sinwar's death, a newsman astatine the State Department briefing connected Thursday asked Spokesman Matthew Miller whether the Biden Administration's argumentation towards Israel invading Rafah was successful hindsight preemptive.  

In his response, Miller said: "No, I volition accidental that we ever made wide that we supported Israel conducting counterterrorism operations to people the leaders of Hamas and to people Hamas militants. And not lone did we marque wide we supported it, but we provided progressive quality enactment for those operations. And I deliberation I’ll permission it astatine that."

Fox News Digital property queries asking President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris whether they erred successful their warnings to Netanyahu implicit Rafah were not returned. 

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.