紐時賞析／以哈戰爭美低調提供情資 助營救人質、緝捕哈瑪斯領袖

U.S. ‘Fusion Cells’ Assist in Israel’s Hunt for Hamas Leaders

美低調提供情報 助以緝捕哈瑪斯領袖

Days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Pentagon quietly dispatched several dozen commandos to Israel to help advise on hostage recovery efforts, U.S. officials said.

美國官員表示，哈瑪斯2023年10月7日攻擊以色列幾天後，五角大廈悄悄派數十名突擊隊隊員前往以色列，為營救人質提供建議。

Those troops from the Joint Special Operations Command were quickly joined by a group of intelligence officers, some working with the commandos in Israel and others back at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

來自美國聯合特種作戰司令部的部隊，很快與一群情報官員匯合，他們有些人在以色列和突擊隊隊員合作，其他人回到美國維吉尼亞州蘭利的中央情報局總部。

For more than a year much of the attention, and criticism, around U.S. support for Israel has focused on the U.S.-made bombs and weaponry Israel has used to attack the Gaza Strip.

超過一年來，環繞美國支持以色列的關注和批評，大多著重以色列用來攻擊加薩走廊的美製炸彈和武器。

But the intelligence assistance to Israel has also been crucial. U.S. intelligence helped locate the four hostages who were rescued by Israeli commandos in June.

但對以色列的情資協助也一直至關重要。美國情資單位協助發現四名人質，這些人六月被以色列突擊隊員救出。

And from nearly the beginning of the war, the U.S. military and intelligence cells were focused not just on looking for hostages, but also hunting for the top leaders of Hamas.

而且，幾乎從戰爭一開始，美國軍方和情資小組不僅專注尋找人質，也追捕哈瑪斯高層領袖。

U.S. top brass is not claiming credit for the Israeli operation that killed Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar, an architect of the Oct. 7 attack. But they note that their intelligence aided the hunt.

以色列擊殺哈瑪斯領袖、10月7日突襲主謀辛瓦的行動，美國高層沒有居功。但他們指出，他們的情資協助那場追捕行動。

Defense Department officials have insisted that they are not directly supporting Israeli military operations on the ground in Gaza, a campaign that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and reduced the territory to rubble.

國防部官員堅稱，他們沒有直接支持以軍在加薩的地面軍事行動。這場行動導致數以萬計巴勒斯坦民眾死亡，並使當地淪為廢墟。

But the search for top Hamas leaders was different, officials said.

官員們說，尋找哈瑪斯高層領袖就不同了。

U.S. officials said senior White House officials regularly met with CIA Director William Burns and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about what more support the targeting cells might need to speed the hunt for Sinwar.

美國官員表示，白宮資深官員定期和中情局局長伯恩斯及國防部長奧斯丁會面，討論目標小組可能的需求，以加速追捕辛瓦。

In the end it was a random Israeli unit on patrol in southern Gaza that discovered Sinwar.

最終，一支隨機在加薩南部巡邏的以色列部隊發現辛瓦。

Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday that no U.S. forces had been directly involved in the operation that killed the Hamas leader. “This was an Israeli operation,” he said.

美國國防部發言人賴德周四表示，美軍沒有直接涉入殺害這名哈瑪斯領袖的行動。他說：「這是以色列的行動。」

But, U.S. officials insist, the United States helped collect intelligence that helped the Israeli military narrow its search.

但美國官員堅稱，美國協助收集情報，幫助以色列軍方縮小搜索範圍。

In the weeks after Hamas killed a group of hostages in the tunnels below Rafah in southern Gaza, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies had focused on the area, believing that could be where Sinwar was hiding.

哈瑪斯在加薩南部拉法地下隧道殺害一群人質數周後，美國和以色列情資當局關注該地區，認為這可能是辛瓦的藏身處。

文／Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper　譯／羅方妤

說文解字看新聞

【張佑生】

美國在中東衝突中堅定站在以色列這一邊是很清楚的，除了有形的軍火，還包括情報蒐集，找出敵人首腦的藏身處。標題的Fusion Cells常指跟反恐或反詐騙有關的單位，cell在本文是大型政治、宗教團體中，規劃（暴力）行動的秘密小組：a terrorist cell/a communist cell.

Artificial intelligence (AI)是人工智能，military intelligence則是軍事情報，intelligence agencies/services是情報機關，intelligence operations/sources/reports也是常見的詞彙。

Top brass是高層，尤其是軍方高層，不可數名詞但可用複數動詞：The meeting was attended by top diplomats and military top brass.功成不居(not claiming credit for)，credit是嘉許：to get/deserve/receive/take/claim the credit，不可數，介係詞用for：Credit for this win goes to everybody in the team.