Did WhatsApp co-founder assist Israel in killing Hamas' Haniyeh? Buzz grows over Yan Borysovych Koum's role
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.
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FollowThe 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.
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.
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."
Here's a look at some of the other reactions on X:
