An Israeli intelligence operation that secretly compromised nearly all of Tehran’s traffic cameras, paved the way for the airstrike that eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Based on a report by The Financial Times: “Inside the plan to kill Ali Khamenei”

By Probe International

According to a Financial Times report, Israeli intelligence had been secretly surveilling Tehran for years before undertaking the dramatic airstrike that took out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. By hacking nearly all of the traffic cameras in the Iranian capital, Israeli analysts were able to monitor the comings and goings of Khamenei’s bodyguards and drivers notes the Times, effectively mapping the daily routines around his heavily guarded compound.

Using this trove of data, intelligence officials created intricate profiles of key figures, their movements, and schedules. When U.S. and Israeli intelligence confirmed that Khamenei would be attending a crucial meeting, the stage was set for a high-stakes strike. Israeli aircraft, armed with precision munitions, launched a daylight attack, catching Iranian defenses off guard despite being on high alert.

A calculated political maneuver, the assassination marked a significant escalation in Israel’s long-standing focus on Iran, which dates back to a directive from former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001. The Times highlights the evolution of intelligence-gathering through the example of the 2026 operation, and its use of automated systems now able to parse billions of data points to identify targets, transforming what was once a painstaking process into a streamlined “assembly line” of target acquisition.

The strike not only eliminated Khamenei but also took out several high-ranking Iranian military officials, further destabilizing the country’s security leadership.

In the wake of The Financial Times story, a social media post by independent analyst Shanaka Anslem Perera, framed the outcome as “poetic justice written in code.” By turning the regime’s own tools of oppression—the extensive surveillance network designed to monitor and control citizens, and women in particular—the Israeli intelligence operation transformed the very systems that enforced strict hijab laws into the means for regime destruction, observed Perera.

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