Israel infiltrated Tehran’s traffic camera network to monitor the daily movements of senior Iranian officials ahead of an operation that resulted in the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Financial Times has reported.
According to the report, Israeli intelligence services mapped out Khamenei’s routine patterns, including his travel routes, daily schedule and the senior officials who regularly accompanied him.
The newspaper said Israel relied on artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms to analyze large volumes of data collected on Iran’s leadership and their movements.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency also reportedly provided a human intelligence source who confirmed Khamenei’s precise location on the day he was assassinated.
The report detailed that Israel struck the guarded compound with Sparrow missiles, deploying aircraft during daylight hours to secure tactical surprise despite heightened alert levels across Iran.
A total of 30 missiles were launched at the compound. Cellular towers in the area were reportedly disabled beforehand to prevent security personnel from receiving warning calls.
The operation combined signals intelligence, infiltration of cellular networks, and confirmation from the U.S. source that the meeting was underway.
According to the Financial Times, planning for the operation dates back to 2001, when then–Prime Minister Ariel Sharon directed Mossad to prioritize Iran as its primary target.
Joint U.S. and Israeli operations on Iran were launched on Feb. 28 and resulted in the killing of several Iranian officials and triggered retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries. Six U.S. service members have been killed since operations began.
