Top al-Qaeda official killed in Iran by Israel's Mossad.

 

File photo of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah. US government photo.

A top al-Qaeda leader was killed in Iran by Israel's Mossad group on behest of the United States. The Hill. Two Israeli agents shot and killed Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, along with his daughter, who was Osama Bin Laden's son's former wife. The shooting occurred August 7th, which was the anniversary of the 1998 Embassy Bombings in Africa. The United States supported the mission by providing information to the Israelis. Iran had denied the death was Abdullah and though rumors were flying for months that he had been killed. 

My Comment:

This isn't a new story but it's one that has flown under the radar a bit due to election news. Killing a high ranking al-Qaeda official should be bigger news but the American news media has pretty much given up on actually trying to inform people. Plus it's another terrorist that was killed under President Trump, and that is something the media would ever give him credit for. Even The Hill, which is a more conservative outlet, didn't mention President Trump once. 

Part of it might be the fact that the major terror attack Abdullah is responsible for is the 1998 Embassy bombings. Though those bombings were major they were overshadowed a few years later by 9/11. Abdallah was never as big of a figure as Osama Bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri so his death isn't going to grab the headlines. 

Iran is probably furious about this incident. My guess is that Abdullah was under Iran's protection under the assumed identity of Habib Daoud. But even if he wasn't under their protection it's still hugely embarrassing for them. Iran hates Israel and seeing them kill someone right under their noses has to be a major loss of face. Which is why they are denying that Abdullah was the one who was killed. 

As for Israel it's one of the few cases where Mossad actually did something. Mossad tends to get blamed for everything among anti-Semites of all political and religious stripes but for once they were the ones who were responsible. 

I have to give it to Mossad's Kidon unit, this was a tough operation. They had a little help from the United States, who gave them the location of Abdullah, but the shooting itself was done by Kidon. Killing someone in the middle of Tehran and getting away with it is no small feet and no matter what your feelings on this incident you have to be impressed.