Israeli intelligence hacked Tehran surveillance cameras to track and kill Supreme Leader Khamenei
Israeli intelligence services reportedly hacked nearly all of Tehran's traffic cameras for years to track the movements of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his security detail, using the footage along with satellite imagery and social media analysis to prepare a military strike. On 28 February 2026, a joint US-Israeli attack killed Khamenei and over 40 other senior Iranian officials in approximately 60 seconds.
What happened
According to the Financial Times and American media reports, Israeli intelligence services hacked nearly all of Tehran's traffic cameras several years before launching military operations. The encrypted footage was transmitted to servers in Tel Aviv and southern Israel.
Complex algorithms cross-referenced the hacked camera data with security personnel addresses, service schedules, home-to-work routes, protected individuals, satellite imagery, intercepted communications and social media analysis to create detailed movement profiles and identify targets. On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a coordinated military strike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and over 40 senior Iranian officials within approximately 60 seconds.
Reported impact
Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, was killed in the attack on 28 February 2026. At least 40 other high-ranking Iranian military and government officials were also killed in the strike.
Index analysis
The surveillance system relied on AI-driven algorithmic analysis to process vast amounts of intercepted data from multiple sources including hacked cameras, satellite imagery and social media to construct a detailed map of Tehran and identify targets. An Israeli intelligence official stated the surveillance was so comprehensive that 'we knew Tehran like we know Jerusalem.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.