US-Israel-Iran War: How Traffic Cameras and Surveillance Led to the Air Strike on Khamenei

A sophisticated intelligence operation spanning several years reportedly laid the groundwork for the strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Saturday. According to a report by the Financial Times, Israeli agencies had gained access to nearly all traffic surveillance cameras in the Iranian capital, enabling them to closely track movements near Pasteur Street, where the supreme leader was targeted in a joint US-Israeli air strike. One strategically positioned camera allegedly offered a particularly valuable view inside the heavily guarded compound, providing insight into routine activity within the premises.

The report stated that advanced algorithms were deployed to build detailed profiles of security personnel assigned to the compound. These dossiers reportedly included their residential addresses, duty hours, commuting routes and the officials they were tasked with protecting. By analysing this information, intelligence agencies were said to have constructed what officers refer to as a “pattern of life” — a comprehensive mapping of habits, timings and associations. The surveillance campaign, described as years in the making, allegedly played a decisive role in facilitating the assassination of the 86-year-old leader.

Real-time monitoring of traffic data was reportedly one of several tools used by Israel and the CIA to determine precisely when Khamenei would be present at his office on Saturday morning and which senior figures would be accompanying him. Earlier, Reuters had reported that Israeli intelligence detected a high-level meeting at the leadership compound in central Tehran, prompting planners to advance the timing of the strike. The CIA was said to have confirmed that the supreme leader would be at the site.

Check: US-Israel-Iran War LIVE Updates: Israel Warns of Imminent Strikes, Issues Evacuation Notice for Tehran Industrial Zone and Payam Airport

The newspaper also claimed that Israel disrupted elements of multiple mobile phone towers near Pasteur Street, making incoming calls appear busy and preventing warning messages from reaching Khamenei’s security detail. The broader intelligence picture, the report said, was the result of painstaking data collection led by Israel’s signals intelligence unit Unit 8200, supported by operatives from Mossad and military intelligence analysts who processed vast quantities of information into daily operational briefings.

Israel was also reported to have employed a mathematical technique known as social network analysis to sift through billions of data points and identify key connections. The country’s intelligence reach was previously demonstrated during a 12-day conflict last June, when more than a dozen Iranian nuclear scientists and senior military officials were killed in rapid, coordinated strikes. Quoting an intelligence official, the report said, “We took their eyes first.”

Israeli pilots were said to have used Sparrow missiles capable of striking targets as small as a dining table from distances exceeding 1,000 kilometres, beyond the reach of Iran’s aerial defence systems. The killing of Khamenei — only the second supreme leader after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — was described by the newspaper as a political decision rather than merely a technological accomplishment. The publication said it interviewed several current and former Israeli intelligence officials for the account.

While many operational details remain undisclosed, some aspects may never be revealed to protect sources and methods. Unlike Hassan Nasrallah, who reportedly lived in hiding for years and was killed in Beirut in September 2024 following repeated assassination attempts, Khamenei did not reside underground. Nasrallah was reportedly killed when Israeli jets dropped dozens of bombs on his hideout.

Khamenei, whose portraits were widely displayed across Iran, had publicly downplayed the importance of his own life to the future of the Islamic republic. When US and Israeli intelligence agencies confirmed that he would chair a meeting at his compound on Saturday morning, officials reportedly assessed that striking at that moment would be more effective than pursuing targets once a broader war had begun. They believed Iranian leaders would likely adopt evasive tactics and move into fortified bunkers if hostilities escalated further.

Although US President Donald Trump had repeatedly warned of potential military action against Iran and increased naval deployments near its shores, diplomatic negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme were expected to continue with mediation by Oman. The mediator had described recent discussions as constructive, with Iran reportedly open to concessions aimed at preventing further escalation.

However, the strike — reportedly planned months earlier — was adjusted once intelligence confirmed that Khamenei and senior officials would gather at the Tehran compound on Saturday morning. In addition to signals intelligence obtained from hacked cameras and infiltrated telecommunications networks, the report stated that US agencies possessed confirmation from a human source, providing a critical window of opportunity.

The operation was launched shortly after midnight in Washington, corresponding to daytime in Iran, two days after negotiations in Geneva ended without resolution. According to General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, American forces carried out cyber operations designed to disrupt Iran’s ability to detect, communicate and respond, thereby clearing the path for Israeli aircraft.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Khamenei had been unable to evade advanced intelligence tracking systems. The Israel Defense Forces stated that around 200 fighter jets conducted what it described as the largest military flyover in the history of the Israeli Air Force, striking approximately 500 targets.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump claimed Iranian officials were meeting for breakfast at the time of the strike. Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday, airing archival footage accompanied by a black banner.