Report: Exiled Palestinian Leader Hired Israeli Company To Carry Out Assassinations In Yemen

An American news agency claimed that Mohammed Dahlan, the former head of the Palestinian Authority security forces in the Gaza Strip, hired a mercenary firm run by an Israeli to carry out targeted assassinations in Yemen on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. According to a widely-circulated Buzzfeed expose, Dahlan contracted U.S.-based Spears Operations Group, founded by Abraham Golan, to perpetrate a series of targeted killings starting in December 2015. The attacks reportedly were conducted by Americans, including former members of elite military units. Dahlan has been living primarily in the UAE since fleeing the Palestinian territories in 2011 after his rival Mahmoud Abbas accused of him murdering Yassir Arafat. Golan previously revealed that his business model is based on Israel’s alleged targeted assassination program. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition of Sunni countries that has launched hundreds of airstrikes over the past three-plus years against Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen.