Report reveals how Israel allegedly tracked Khamenei’s location

Israel allegedly penetrated Iran’s traffic surveillance network over several years to monitor the movements of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials prior to his assassination.
This was revealed in a report by the Financial Times, which cited Israeli intelligence sources.

According to the report, nearly all traffic cameras across Tehran were reportedly compromised, with the footage encrypted and transmitted to servers located in Tel Aviv and southern Israel. The operation was said to be part of a broader intelligence framework that combined cyber intrusions, human intelligence assets, and advanced data analytics.
A serving Israeli intelligence official reportedly said the extensive surveillance allowed analysts to detect even minor changes in daily routines. “We knew Tehran like we know Jerusalem,” the official said.
The report added that a particular camera offered a strategic vantage point showing where security aides and drivers attached to senior officials parked their vehicles. This enabled intelligence officers to build a detailed “pattern of life” analysis around Pasteur Street in Tehran — an area housing key government institutions and the location where Khamenei was killed.
The surveillance operation was said to have brought together several intelligence channels, including Israel’s elite cyber warfare division, Unit 8200, as well as operatives recruited by the Mossad. The information gathered was reportedly processed by Israeli military intelligence into daily operational briefings.
Algorithms were also said to have been used to analyse detailed security files containing information such as home addresses, duty schedules, travel routes, and the protectees assigned to key personnel.
On the day of the strike, Israel was also reported to have disrupted selected mobile phone towers near the compound, preventing members of Khamenei’s security team from receiving warning calls.
The real-time intelligence flow reportedly helped Israeli operatives coordinate with the Central Intelligence Agency in determining the timing of a Saturday morning meeting at Khamenei’s office — a period officials considered strategically favourable to target him alongside other senior Iranian figures.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, who had led Iran since 1989, was killed on Saturday, February 28, 2026, following a series of coordinated strikes reportedly carried out by the United States and Israel. He was said to have been assassinated at his office in Tehran.
The operation came after months of stalled nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
In response, Iran reportedly launched strikes in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, further heightening tensions across the region.
The hacking allegations come amid long-standing claims of cyber espionage between the two countries. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Iran had accessed private security cameras in Israel to obtain real-time intelligence. After Iranian missile attacks on high-rise buildings in Tel Aviv, a former Israeli cybersecurity official advised residents to turn off home surveillance cameras or change default passwords.
Cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned that many surveillance systems remain vulnerable due to weak passwords, outdated firmware, and poor installation practices.
A separate report by US cybersecurity ratings firm BitSight also found that thousands of cameras worldwide were streaming online without password protection or adequate safeguards, leaving them exposed to unauthorised access.