Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A sweeping intelligence operation attributed to Israel’s Mossad reportedly penetrated Tehran’s vast traffic camera network for years, helping Israeli and U.S. officials track the movements of Iran’s most senior leadership ahead of a dramatic strike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to media reports.
The operation, described by officials speaking to the Financial Times and other outlets, allegedly gave Israeli intelligence near-total visibility over large parts of the Iranian capital, including surveillance of Khamenei’s security detail and movements around his compound on Pasteur Street in central Tehran.
Years-long surveillance effort
According to the reports, operatives from Mossad accessed Tehran’s extensive traffic camera grid, a system Iranian authorities themselves have used to monitor political dissent and urban security.
The intelligence haul reportedly included detailed patterns of bodyguard movements, their home addresses, work schedules and vehicle parking routines. One particular camera angle near the supreme leader’s compound was said to have provided especially valuable insight into the security perimeter.
Images and data were allegedly transmitted back to Israeli analysis centers, including facilities near Tel Aviv, where analysts built what officials described as a highly granular picture of the protective network around Iran’s leadership.
“We knew Tehran like we know Jerusalem,” an unnamed Israeli intelligence official was quoted as saying, underscoring the depth of the reported penetration.
Final intelligence picture
The surveillance campaign was reportedly combined with human intelligence supplied by the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as advanced Israeli artificial intelligence tools designed to sift through large datasets on Iranian officials.
Together, the intelligence streams allegedly allowed planners to pinpoint Khamenei’s location during a high-level meeting.
Officials cited in the reports said timing was critical. In a prolonged conflict scenario, Iran’s supreme leader would likely have been moved to hardened underground bunkers. Acting quickly, they concluded, preserved the element of surprise.
Strike on Pasteur Street
Israeli warplanes, reportedly flying for hours from military bases, launched a daylight strike using dozens of precision-guided munitions against the compound. Khamenei’s body was later recovered from the rubble, according to the accounts.
The reports also claim Israeli cyber units temporarily disrupted roughly a dozen mobile phone towers near Pasteur Street during the operation, preventing security personnel from receiving warning calls as the strike unfolded.
Multiple senior figures were said to have been killed in the attack, including Iranian national security officials and military leaders. Among those reported dead were Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour, along with members of Khamenei’s family.
Iran retaliates as regional tensions spike
Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes across parts of the Gulf, with explosions reported in Qatar, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and Saudi Arabia, further widening the regional confrontation.
Clashes have also intensified along Israel’s northern front with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, raising fears of a broader multi-front conflict.
In Washington, former U.S. president Donald Trump warned Monday night that a larger phase of the conflict could be imminent, saying he was prepared to deploy ground forces if necessary.
Trump estimated the confrontation could last “four weeks or so,” while asserting that U.S. and Israeli forces were “way ahead of schedule.”
Verification and uncertainty
Many details of the reported intelligence operation remain unconfirmed independently, and Iranian authorities have not publicly verified the extent of any surveillance breach.
Security analysts note that while cyber and signals intelligence have played an increasingly central role in modern warfare, claims of deep, years-long penetration of national surveillance systems are often difficult to fully substantiate in real time.
Still, if confirmed, the operation would mark one of the most sophisticated intelligence penetrations in recent Middle East history and a stark illustration of how cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and human sources are increasingly fused in high-stakes military operations.
