Years of intelligence operation that enabled the targeted elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A recent investigative report by the Financial Times has detailed the how Israel spy agencies did extensive planning to successfully compromise Tehran’s infrastructure on a massive scale long before the fatal strike. The modus operandi resembled the Lebanon-like planning when thousands of Hezbollah held pagers exploded simultaneously in 2024.
The Digital "Pattern Of Life"
According to the reports, Israeli operatives spent years infiltrating Iran’s mobile networks and hacking into nearly all of Tehran’s traffic cameras. The captured footage was reportedly encrypted and sent to servers in Tel Aviv, allowing intelligence analysts to use complex algorithms to build a "pattern of life" for Khamenei and his security detail. This digital surveillance allowed the joint US-Israeli operation to pinpoint the Supreme Leader's exact location at his compound near Pasteur Street, leading to his death in a daylight precision strike.
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The Pager Explosion Case In 2024
On September 18, 2024, a coordinated and unprecedented intelligence operation turned everyday communication tools into lethal weapons across Lebanon and parts of Syria. In a near-simultaneous wave of explosions, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members detonated, leaving a trail of carnage in public markets, cafes, and busy streets.
The attack claimed the lives of at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounded several thousand others. The chaos unfolded during the afternoon rush as devices tucked in pockets or held in hands suddenly overheated and exploded. Bystanders were left in a state of panic as blood-splattered scenes emerged in areas previously considered far from the front lines.