Very true. Just want to point out the message is irrelevant for this purpose.

The messages might be end-to-end encrypted but what about the meta data? They might not have GPS coordinates but WiFi hot spots names have long been geo-located by the tech giants (its more power effient and works for devices without GPS). They cant read the messages but they should be able to tell where they are going. And If they can link the identity of a target to a whatsapp account there is a very good chance that account is talking to other potential targets.

If your goal is to target an individual and anyone they are talking to for assassination, a missile can delete a house associated with that WiFi name. Meta data and some open source intelegance is all you need.

This is the world we live in.