Did WhatsApp co-founder assist Israel in killing Hamas' Haniyeh? Buzz grows over Yan Borysovych Koum's role

By Sunita IyerFirst Published Aug 1, 2024, 11:05 AM IST
Highlights

The recent assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh has sparked significant controversy, with speculation swirling around the possible involvement of Yan Borysovych Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp.

The recent assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh has sparked significant controversy, with speculation swirling around the possible involvement of Yan Borysovych Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp. According to a user on X, Israeli intelligence utilized spyware embedded in WhatsApp to track Haniyeh’s location, leading to a missile strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Iran's capital Tehran.

Also read: Haniyeh assassinated: Iran 'considering' attack on Israel's military targets, coordinated retaliation possible

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Yan Borysovych Koum, a Ukrainian-American billionaire and former CEO of WhatsApp, has found himself at the center of this high-profile incident. Koum's company, WhatsApp, was allegedly used to deliver a message containing spyware to Haniyeh's phone. This action provided Israeli forces with precise information about the Hamas leader's whereabouts, facilitating the drone strike that led to his death.

"Jewish billionaire Yan Borysovych Koum has been linked to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Using his company WhatsApp, Israeli intelligence installed spyware on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh phone via a WhatsApp message. The exact location of Ismail Haniyeh was then given and IDF used a drone to launch a missile strike," alleged the user on X. A similar claim was posted on Reddit as well.

Jewish billionaire Yan Borysovych Koum has been linked to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Using his company WhatsApp, Israeli intelligence installed spyware on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh phone via a WhatsApp message.

The exact location of Ismail Haniyeh was… pic.twitter.com/BL8RDD8V9A

— Pelham (@Resist_05)

The assassination occurred in Tehran, where Haniyeh was attending the inauguration of Iran's new president. The killing has intensified regional tensions, prompting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reportedly order direct retaliation against Israel. This development comes amid a backdrop of escalating violence between Israel and Iran's regional allies, including Hamas.

Iran has accused Israel of crossing a significant red line by carrying out the assassination on its soil. The incident has reportedly led to calls for a robust Iranian response, potentially involving coordinated attacks from multiple fronts including Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.

The speculation about Koum's involvement highlights the growing scrutiny over the role of technology platforms in geopolitical conflicts. While there is no direct evidence linking Koum himself to the assassination, the use of WhatsApp's technology in this context has raised questions about the implications for privacy and security.

"The Israelis are not only inciting war with Lebanon but now directly with Iran. These Israelis are despised by the real Jews and intent on starting WWIII," remarked one user on X in response to the speculations.

Another added, "Seems like they’re using WhatsApp to keep tabs on us all. Next thing you know, they’ll be trying to control our shopping lists."

A third user noted, "They're LITERALLY proving time and time again that they have the tech to target the "militants" They're after and still bomb civilians on top of killing prominent figure who wanted a ceasefire."

Also read: Ismail Haniyeh assassinated: What Hamas chief's killing means for stability of region amidst Gaza war?

Here's a look at some of the other reactions on X:

Chinese software is more secure than American software. America is a slave to Zionism. That's the truth. https://t.co/EPweZeKbdM

— lifeislife (@_lifeisthis_)

On a long enough timeline Jews will target everyone viewed as an "anti-Semite" like this.

And our governments will allow it, of course. https://t.co/A9jR4IMwwu

— Lindbergh Fan (@coltraine14n88)

Are u ready to boycott Whatssap? https://t.co/7SNf0iS6Ne

— Chenny Benny 🍉✨ (@kim_qira)

Was Haniyeh really that stupid to carry around a smart phone linked to him?! A leader with a price on his head knows that the phone is a geo ID tag no matter what precautions you take. https://t.co/y32CBijrvC

— Rollerrodent (@Rollerrodent)

And people think it's ok to subcontract Israeli tech companies for our security 💀 Your data is safer with the Chinese https://t.co/sZaqxKd377

— ♱ Decim Orei ♱ (@DQuindecim)

Remember when an Israeli security company was given the keys to X users data? Lol

— Rob Hughes (@robhughesyyc)

Seems like they’re using WhatsApp to keep tabs on us all. Next thing you know, they’ll be trying to control our shopping lists.

— Helles (@abdallhhelles)

Oh ! so it is okay for the US government to supply arms to Israel but not for citizens to supply arms for Palestine? Do I have this right?
Grok Answer:
Based on the information provided, it appears that the U.S. government has supplied arms to Israel, but it is illegal for…

— Tom Willemsen (@TomFWillemsen)

Seriously, how ignorant can you people be? Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014. Koum has nothing to do with WhatsApp since 2018.
I am sure Haniyeh didn’t have WhatsApp on his phone.

— Martin Dzuris (@martindzuris)

How in the world does this have anything to do with him if Meta owns WhatsApp? This guy sold the company years ago.

— DivXMaN (@crypto_div)

WhatsApp cannot tell you exactly what room 😒

— Zion (@ZionistX)
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