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The US Central Intelligence Agency reportedly provided a human source to verify the exact location where Khamenei was expected to be on the day of the strike.
By Shula Rosen
Israel relied on hacked traffic cameras in Tehran and artificial intelligence systems to map the movements of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before killing him in Operation Roaring Lion, the Financial Times reported Monday.
The newspaper said Israeli intelligence agencies penetrated the Iranian capital’s camera network to monitor senior regime figures and reconstruct their routines.
Analysts used AI tools and data-processing algorithms to sift through large volumes of information, identifying what the report described as a “life pattern” that detailed Khamenei’s travel routes, daily schedule and the officials who regularly accompanied him.
The Financial Times also reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency provided a human source to verify the exact location where Khamenei was expected to be on the day of the strike.
Khamenei was killed Saturday in Israeli and US attacks in Tehran, according to Iranian state television. Images published March 2 showed pedestrians passing a billboard bearing his likeness in the capital.
A file photo dated July 29, 2025, showed Khamenei attending a mourning ceremony for Iranian military commanders and scientists killed during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel.
According to the report, Israeli aircraft fired 30 Sparrow missiles at the compound where Khamenei was under guard. The planes were dispatched during daylight hours in an effort to achieve tactical surprise despite heightened alert levels in Iran.
The newspaper said cellular towers near the compound were disrupted before the strike, preventing members of Khamenei’s security detail from receiving warning calls. The operation combined signals intelligence, infiltration of cellular networks and confirmation from the American source that the meeting was underway.
The Financial Times reported that preparations for targeting Iran’s leadership date back to 2001, when then-prime minister Ariel Sharon instructed the Mossad to make Iran its primary intelligence focus.
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