https://thedefensepost.com/2026/03/04/israel-traffic-cameras-track-khamenei/ * Home * Partnerships and Sponsorships * About * Submit an Op-Ed * Contact Us * Newsletter * Editorial Guidelines * Facebook * X * RSS * Sidebar Global defense news, analysis and opinion * Menu Global defense news, analysis and opinion * News + Latest + Editor's picks + Featured stories + Politics + Business & Technology * War & Conflict * Regions + Africa + Americas + Asia Pacific + Europe + Middle East * Business & Technology * Commentary * [ ] Search for An Iranian motorcyclist rides past the Gandhi Hospital, which is damaged after US-Israeli strikes on a state TV telecommunication tower nearby in Tehran, Iran, on March 2, 2026. An Iranian motorcyclist rides past the Gandhi Hospital, which is damaged after US-Israeli strikes on a state TV telecommunication tower nearby in Tehran, Iran, on March 2, 2026. Photo: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via AFP Home/Middle East/Israel Spent Years Hacking Tehran Traffic Cameras to Track Khamenei Before Strike: Report Middle East Israel Spent Years Hacking Tehran Traffic Cameras to Track Khamenei Before Strike: Report Photo of Giulia Bernacchi Giulia BernacchiMarch 4, 2026 2 minutes read Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Telegram Share via Email Print [WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-20-at-02] Israel has reportedly spent years monitoring the movements of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei through Tehran's traffic camera network, as part of the intelligence effort preceding the strike that killed him, the Financial Times reported. The attack was part of a large-scale US and Israeli military operation launched in late February, triggering retaliatory missile and drone strikes from Tehran against Israel, US military bases across the Gulf, and other parts of the Middle East, escalating a conflict that Washington said could last for weeks. According to the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the operation, many of the Iranian capital's traffic cameras had been compromised, allowing Israeli intelligence analysts to access the feeds remotely and track the daily routines of senior Iranian officials and their security details. The effort relied heavily on Israel's signals intelligence Unit 8200, as well as human sources recruited by the Mossad. The gathered information was then processed using tools capable of analyzing billions of data points, including social network analysis techniques to identify relationships and decision-making networks. The resulting intelligence picture helped determine when Khamenei would be at his offices on Pasteur Street in Tehran and who would attend a meeting with him on the morning of the strike. People hold picture of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while crying at an event honoring Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on March 1, 2026 at Ashoura Square in southern Beirut, Lebanon.People hold picture of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while crying at an event honoring Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on March 1, 2026 at Ashoura Square in southern Beirut, Lebanon. Photo: Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via AFP Security Patterns Reporting by the Financial Times indicates that Israeli intelligence analysts used footage from traffic cameras to compile detailed profiles of members of the protection detail, including their home addresses, duty schedules, commuting routes, and the officials they were assigned to protect. By correlating these data points, analysts reconstructed what intelligence services refer to as a "pattern of life," allowing them to track movements and determine which officials were present in specific vehicles and locations around the Iranian capital. One traffic camera overlooking the government compound on Pasteur Street was cited as providing a clear view of an area where members of the security detail regularly parked their personal vehicles. Israeli intelligence also reportedly interfered with components of multiple mobile phone towers near Pasteur Street, causing nearby phones to appear busy when called and potentially preventing warning messages from reaching Khamenei's security team before his assassination. Tags Ali Khamenei Intelligence Iran Israel Mossad United States Photo of Giulia Bernacchi Giulia BernacchiMarch 4, 2026 2 minutes read Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Telegram Share via Email Print Facebook X LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Pocket WhatsApp Telegram Viber Share via Email Print Subscribe to our mailing list Enter your Email address [ ] [Subscribe] Related Articles Lithuanian troops defend their position versus opposing forces during Combined Resolve XI on Dec. 6, 2018 in Hohenfels, Germany. Combined Resolve XI is a biannual exercise that serves as the combat training center certification exercise for regionally allocated forces. This iteration of the exercise takes place in two phases at the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas between Nov. 26-Dec. 14, 2018 and Jan. 13-25, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by SSG. Tyrone Williams) Lithuania Open to Join US in Iran War if Asked March 4, 2026 AeroVironment plans for manufacturing expansion. 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