An author who once worked as a double agent so he could spy within the terrorist group Al Qaeda — where he gave vital information to Western intelligence and prevented mass attacks —weighed in on the Middle East, pointing out that Arabs in Gulf states should feel closer to Israel than the Palestinians, while offering other powerful insights.
Aimen Dean, the author of “Nine Lives: My Time as the West’s Top Spy Inside al Qaeda” and the host of the podcast “Conflicted,” once was a member of Al Qaeda but became a mole inside the organization when he started working for British intelligence in 1999. He was born in Saudi Arabia.
“Let me make something absolutely clear. I am not a Zionist — not in any way, shape, or form. I am an Arab,” he wrote on X. “My roots are in Bahrain, I was born in Saudi Arabia, and I live in the UAE. My family spans generations across all three countries. On top of that, I am also a British citizen — a nationality I hold with honor, especially given my years working alongside UK security forces. It was a privilege, and an eye-opening chapter of my life. So no, I don’t carry any Zionist affiliation.”
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“But let me now ask the question I rarely hear answered honestly: Why should I support groups like Hamas, the PFLP, or other Palestinian factions that have long embraced terrorism — even when their targets have been us, the Gulf Arabs?” he asked rhetorically. “Let’s look at reality: Israel has never fired a single bullet at any GCC country — not at Saudi Arabia, not at Bahrain, not at Kuwait, not at the UAE, not even at Qatar or Oman. Not even a BB gun.”
“Meanwhile, Palestinian terrorist groups have assassinated our diplomats, hijacked our planes, bombed our embassies, and worked hand-in-hand with our enemies — even as we offered them political, financial, and moral support for decades,” he wrote. “And now? Hamas and its allies have fully aligned with the Ayatollahs of Iran, our true existential enemy – the same regime that has plotted coups in Bahrain, that has flooded the region with missiles and militias, and that has openly declared its intent to topple our governments and destroy our societies. Let’s remember — it wasn’t Israel that launched thousands of drones and ballistic missiles on Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It was Iran. Through the Houthis. With Hezbollah operatives. With Hamas blessings. And with Iranian weapons.”
“So why should I betray my own people, my own security, my own dignity – to support a group that would see us fall, just to serve Tehran’s ambitions? No, I am not a Zionist. But the Zionists are NOT my enemy. My enemies are in Tehran, in Beirut, in Sana’a, and – yes – among those Palestinian factions who turned against the very hands that once fed them. This is not about being trendy or emotional. This is about loyalty, logic, and survival. In the thread below, I’ve listed decades’ worth of attacks Palestinian terrorists have carried out against the Gulf nations – despite all we gave them. Read it. And maybe then you’ll understand why many of us have stopped pretending,” he concluded.
Let me make something absolutely clear.
I am not a Zionist – not in any way, shape, or form. I am an Arab. My roots are in Bahrain, I was born in Saudi Arabia, and I live in the UAE. My family spans generations across all three countries. On top of that, I am also a British…
— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) June 29, 2025
He then listed the Palestinian terror attacks against Gulf states:
📜 Chronological List of Palestinian Terror Attacks Against GCC Interests
•1973 – Mohammed al-Fayez (Kuwaiti diplomat): Assassinated in Paris by the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO).
•1973 – Kuwait Airways Flight 404: Hijacked by Black September operatives; forced to fly to…
— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) June 29, 2025
Dean also blasted the Hamas massacre in October 2023, writing, “If Gaza was truly a prison, why didn’t Hamas break out through Egypt? Why always toward Israel? Because Egypt would shoot — not negotiate. … It’s always easier to guilt-trip the Gulf Countries. So no — we will not join your death cult. We will not die for the cause while Ramallah dances and Cairo locks the gate. And to all the comfortable, self-righteous voices screaming ‘solidarity’: shut the f*** up and go die in Gaza yourselves if you care that much. Don’t lecture us from safety. Don’t demand sacrifice from others while you live off hashtags. If the people of Ramallah aren’t bothered – if their own fellow Palestinians can dance on the same day others die – why the hell should we?”
A Tale of Two Palestinian Cities.
Some were outraged when I stated earlier that we, as Gulf Arabs, no longer wish to destroy our nations and futures for a cause that, for 70 years, has brought us nothing but terrorism, accusations, betrayal, and alliances with our enemies. The… pic.twitter.com/62joFI9kYJ
— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) June 29, 2025
Dean also exploded the myth propped by antisemites that Israel had expansionist ambitions:
🟥 The Myth of Greater Israel vs. the Reality of the Expanding Ayatollah’s Empire
Let’s put an end to one of the laziest, loudest lies circulating in certain circles – particularly among those with low information and even lower IQ. Every time I criticize the Iranian regime and… pic.twitter.com/NaR1jU9Y7T
— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) June 30, 2025
Dean also thanked President Donald Trump for not glad-handing the theocratic, despotic Iranian regime:
Finally, a Middle East deal that doesn’t come with pallets of cash and a thank-you note.” 🇺🇸💸 pic.twitter.com/xptZXUhPkC
— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) June 30, 2025
