Iran's secret affair with Al Qaeda
Beyond the Headlines26 Marras 2020

Iran's secret affair with Al Qaeda

On August 7, Habib Daoud, a Lebanese professor of history in Iran, was gunned down on a street in northern Tehran. Killed alongside him was his 27-year-old daughter Maryam. The assassin was riding a motorbike, and escaped without being identified. Reports suggest that Daoud’s killing was carried out by Israeli spies. It fits the profile of those carried out by Israeli agents in Iran in previous years. Past targets, however, were mainly Iranian nuclear scientists. Daoud was a different kind of enemy to Israel. He was said to be affiliated with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is funded by Iran. At least, that was the story reported by the Iranian press. Thre months later, news reports in the United States and Saudi Arabia told a different story, in which the man Iranian authorities identified as Habib Daoud never actually existed. While the assassins were still likely to be Israeli agents, Daoud’s identity was a cover. There is a strong likelihood, rather, that the man assassinated in Tehran that day was a senior operative in one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organisations – one that has long claimed to be an enemy of Iran’s government. The man has been identified by US and Israeli officials as Abu Muhammad Al Masri, second-in-command of Al Qaeda. On this week's Beyond the Headlines host Sulaiman Hakemy looks at Iran’s covert and counterintuitive relationship with Al Qaeda.

Jaksot(485)

Will there be a 'red line' for Israel's annexation of the West Bank?

Will there be a 'red line' for Israel's annexation of the West Bank?

Israel’s recent change of land-buying policies in the occupied West Bank has been condemned by the international community and the UN. The measures have been designed to make it easier for settlers to...

13 Helmi 24min

Is it time for serious reform of the UN and humanitarian law?

Is it time for serious reform of the UN and humanitarian law?

The rules-based international order is the system of principles, laws and institutions put in place since the end of the Second World War to protect human rights and prevent conflict. But this status ...

6 Helmi 22min

How Jared Kushner’s plan for Gaza could affect Palestinians

How Jared Kushner’s plan for Gaza could affect Palestinians

Jared Kushner’s vision for Gaza may have been presented in a vibrant-coloured map and renderings of futuristic, high-rise towers, but Palestinians in the strip say they are sceptical. Residents likene...

30 Tammi 25min

What happens next after Syrian army offensive against the SDF?

What happens next after Syrian army offensive against the SDF?

After days of fighting, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government troops under President Ahmad Al Shara agreed to a fragile ceasefire. But in that short time – and with each side still a...

23 Tammi 15min

What options does Iran have as pressure builds at home and abroad?

What options does Iran have as pressure builds at home and abroad?

Two weeks of protests in Iran have been met with a regime crackdown that threatens to provoke foreign intervention. What started as demonstrations over worsening economic conditions has spiralled into...

16 Tammi 24min

Why US action in Venezuela is causing so much anxiety in Middle East

Why US action in Venezuela is causing so much anxiety in Middle East

Even though Caracas sits across the ocean, thousands of kilometres from the Middle East, the US attack on Venezuela and capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro has been unsettling. For Venezuelans who fe...

8 Tammi 22min

How serious is the ISIS threat in Syria?

How serious is the ISIS threat in Syria?

After the US struck ISIS targets in Syria in late December, President Ahmad Al Shara’s government stepped up its own operations, carrying out weapons raids and arrests across the country. It came afte...

2 Tammi 20min

The year in impact: Our episodes that resonated the most in 2025

The year in impact: Our episodes that resonated the most in 2025

The profound transformations in the Middle East this past year have rippled far beyond the region, reshaping politics and alliances around the world. The US has taken a new interest in Syria. Lebanon ...

26 Joulu 202528min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
viisupodi
rss-podme-livebox
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
otetaan-yhdet
rss-asiastudio
linda-maria
the-ulkopolitist
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
rss-girls-finish-f1rst
rikosmyytit
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
io-techin-tekniikkapodcast
rss-vain-talouselamaa