Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, has been reported killed in Iran. There are questions circulating about whether Israel was able to track his movements using WhatsApp.
Iran held funeral processions on Thursday for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, following his death in a strike in Tehran, which has been attributed to Israel.
On Wednesday, Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas, was reportedly assassinated during his visit to Iran, escalating concerns of a broader conflict in the Middle East. Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the attack. There are unverified claims circulating online suggesting that Haniyeh’s location was tracked through WhatsApp, facilitated by alleged spyware from Israeli intelligence.
One social media claim links Jewish billionaire Yan Borysovych Koum, who co-founded WhatsApp, to the assassination. The theory proposes that Israeli agents used spyware sent via WhatsApp to track Haniyeh’s phone, leading to his targeted missile strike by the IDF. However, these claims are not substantiated and remain speculative. Notably, Meta’s apps, including WhatsApp and Facebook, are banned in Iran and face periodic access restrictions.
Earlier theories have suggested that Meta’s technology, including a software known as Lavender AI, played a role in identifying Hamas members. A joint investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call revealed that Lavender AI was used by the Israeli Defence Forces to identify potential targets in Gaza following the October 7 attack. The investigation found that Lavender AI categorized over 37,000 individuals in Gaza for potential airstrikes based on broad parameters.
These theories gained traction after a blog post by Paul Biggar in April, which claimed that Meta provided user metadata to the IDF and highlighted alleged connections between Meta’s management and Israeli interests. The post suggested that being in a WhatsApp group with a suspected militant could be a factor in targeting decisions. Despite the discussions on social media, concrete evidence supporting these allegations is lacking.