It was a “surgical” attack in all likelihood. On Saturday morning, Israeli warplanes bombed Tehran and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But a 60-second precision strike with 30 missiles required years of planning, as a Financial Times report reveals.
Israel used hacked traffic cameras and artificial intelligence to map the movements of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before his assassination.
Hacked traffic cameras monitored the daily lives of senior Iranian figures in preparation for Operation "Lion's Roar," which killed the regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to a Financial Times report published on Monday.
According to the report, Israeli intelligence uncovered a "lifestyle pattern" for Khamenei and his security staff, including travel routes, hours of activity and the identities of senior officials who were usually with the late Iranian leader.
The report also claims that Israel used Artificial Intelligence tools, along with algorithms, to sort through vast amounts of information gathered about the Iranian leadership and its movements.
In addition, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provided an additional human source to confirm the exact location of where Khamenei would be on the day of his assassination.
The development and execution of the operation to assassinate Ali Khamenei depended on synchronization between Unit 8,200 and Mossad, two of the pillars of Israeli intelligence.
Unit 8200, which specializes in signals intelligence, was responsible for collecting and processing vast amounts of electronic data. Their work included intercepting communications, hacking city cameras, and breaching cell phone systems, providing a constant stream of information about Khamenei's movements and habits around the region.
For its part, Mossad – Israel’s foreign intelligence service – was responsible for managing human assets in hostile territory. By recruiting informants and obtaining sensitive data through contacts in Iran, Mossad was able to supplement technological surveillance with information of high operational value.
How was Khamenei's assassination achieved?
The FT report says Israel attacked the compound where Khamenei was being held using Sparrow missiles, with the planes deployed during the day to achieve tactical surprise, even with Iran's high level of alert.
In total, 30 rockets were fired at the complex, while cell phone towers in the area were out of service, preventing security personnel from receiving warning calls.
The FT also reported that planning for the operation began in 2001, when former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered Mossad to make Iran the main target.
