Mossad 'hacked every traffic camera in Tehran' to spy on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei years before his assassination
Israeli operatives infiltrated Tehran’s traffic camera network and used it to monitor the movements of its country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for years before his assassination, according to a new report.
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Israel gained access to nearly all of the country's traffic surveillance system to track the movements of key figures, sources told the Financial Times.
The footage was then sent back to Tel Aviv, giving Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, detailed insight into the routines of Khamenei’s bodyguards — including their home addresses, daily schedules and the officials they were assigned to protect.
According to the report, the surveillance footage also revealed when the ayatollah was likely to be at his residence, where members of his security team parked their vehicles and how they rotated shifts.
The intelligence was also used to disrupt mobile phone service around his compound on Pasteur Street in central Tehran, hampering the ability of his protection to respond during an ambush.
One Israeli intelligence official told the Financial Times: “[W]e knew Tehran like we know Jerusalem.
"And when you know [a place] as well as you know the street you grew up on, you notice a single thing that’s out of place."
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The hacks reportedly formed part of a years-long intelligence campaign which culminated in the killing of Khamenei on Saturday, when Israeli fighter jets launched a daylight bombing raid on his complex.
Aircraft flying directly from Israeli military bases fired up to 30 precision-guided munitions at the site.
Khamenei’s body was later recovered from the rubble.
The strike was part of a broader US-Israeli offensive known as Operation Epic Fury.
As part of the planning process, Israel reportedly used social network analysis — a technique that studies relationships and interaction — to better understand the behaviour and movements of senior Iranian figures.
Using that intelligence, Israeli and US officials concluded that targeting Khamenei at the beginning of the assault would reduce the risk of his escape to a bunker in the event of a prolonged conflict.
Intelligence indicated that Khamenei would attend an in-person meeting at his compound on Saturday morning.
Hacked traffic cameras and compromised mobile networks were reportedly used to confirm that the meeting was proceeding as scheduled on the day of the strike.
Speaking to Fox News, Donald Trump later confirmed that Khamenei “was eliminated along with his inner circle as they gathered for breakfast”.
He added on Monday that the US operation in Iran was “ahead of schedule” and suggested that a “big wave” of action had yet to come.