Is it true that khaled meshal did have a leaked call with formar president of yemen?

Checked on December 17, 2025
Disclaimer: Factually can make mistakes. Please verify important information or breaking news. Learn more.

This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.

Executive summary

Multiple outlets in the provided cache report a leaked phone call between former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in which Saleh criticizes Hamas rocket attacks; Yemen Online republishes the claim across several stories [1] [2] [3]. Major international outlets in the provided results (e.g., The Guardian, Times of Israel, CNN) do not mention or corroborate that specific leaked Saleh–Meshaal call in these snippets; available sources do not mention independent verification beyond Yemen Online’s reporting [4] [5] [6].

1. What the reporting says: a Yemeni site flags a “leak”

Yemen Online’s headlines and multiple story pages assert that “a leaked phone call between former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Hamas leader abroad Khaled Meshaal” revealed Saleh’s sharp criticism of Hamas rocket attacks on Israel [1] [2] [3]. The claim appears repeatedly across the Yemen Online site, suggesting either a single item syndicated across categories or multiple iterations of the same report [1] [7].

2. Who’s named and what they allegedly said

The parties named are Ali Abdullah Saleh — described as “former Yemeni President” — and Khaled Meshaal (Meshaal / Meshal spellings appear in the results), identified as a Hamas leader abroad. Yemen Online frames the call as exposing Saleh’s criticism of Hamas’s rocket attacks, but the provided excerpts do not include verbatim quotes, audio links, or technical provenance for the leak [1] [8].

3. Independent corroboration is not shown in the available reporting

Among the other search results supplied, internationally prominent reports — including The Guardian’s coverage of a separate “Signal group chat” leak about U.S. Yemen war planning and Times of Israel pieces on Yemen-related leaks — do not corroborate or reference the Saleh–Meshaal phone call as presented by Yemen Online in these snippets [4] [6] [5]. Therefore, available sources do not mention independent verification or supporting reporting from major wire services in the set provided [4] [6].

4. Context on the actors and why the claim matters

Khaled Meshaal is a well-known senior Hamas figure and has been the subject of international coverage and profiles [9]. Ali Abdullah Saleh was Yemen’s longtime president and a polarizing political actor; any private communications between him and regional players would carry political weight in Yemen’s fractious media environment. Yemen Online’s repetition of the item indicates the report is being pushed through Yemeni-focused channels, which can reflect local political angles or agendas [1] [7].

5. Possible explanations and caveats about the leak’s credibility

The provided material lacks concrete forensic detail: there is no citation of an audio file, transcript, independent forensic authentication, or attribution to a whistleblower or security service in these snippets [1] [8]. In an environment rife with information operations and factional media, claims that rest on a single local outlet should be treated cautiously absent broader corroboration [1] [2].

6. Competing perspectives and editorial signals

Yemen Online’s repeated publishing of the story could reflect editorial priorities or political alignment; the search cache shows the same line appearing across multiple Yemen Online pages, which may indicate syndication rather than fresh independent reporting [1] [7]. Other sources provided focus on separate leaks (U.S. Signal chat) or on Meshaal’s public statements, not on a private Saleh–Meshaal call, creating a gap between the local claim and international coverage [4] [5] [10].

7. What responsible next steps for a reader or reporter should be

Seek the primary material (audio or transcript) and ask Yemen Online for sourcing and authentication details; look for confirmation from additional independent outlets or forensic audio analysts. Cross-check with regional wire services (Reuters, AP), which are represented in the cache as background on Meshaal but do not appear to have reported the leak in these provided snippets [9] [10]. If no corroboration appears, treat the claim as unverified.

Limitations: this analysis uses only the search results provided. Available sources do not mention verbatim excerpts or independent verification of the alleged Saleh–Meshaal leaked call beyond Yemen Online’s reporting [1] [2] [3].

Want to dive deeper?
Did khaled meshal have a leaked phone call with a former president of yemen?
Who is khaled meshal and what roles has he held in hamas?
Which former yemeni presidents were in office when khaled meshal was active internationally?
Are there verified recordings or credible reports of contacts between hamas leaders and yemeni officials?
How have intelligence agencies and major media outlets reported on hamas communications leaks in recent years?