The Financial Times reports that Israel gained access to the camera network years ago, identifying one specific camera positioned to reveal exactly where members of Khamenei’s security team parked their vehicles.

Detailed profiles

Using the cameras, Israeli intelligence compiled detailed profiles on the guards, including their addresses, work schedules, and specific protection assignments. According to the report, on the day of the attack, Israel and the U.S. also jammed cellular service on Tehran’s Pasteur Street – the site of Khamenei’s assassination – ensuring that anyone attempting to warn the bodyguards would only receive busy signals.

AI tools and algorithms

“We knew Tehran like we know Jerusalem,” an Israeli intelligence official told the Financial Times. “And when you know [a place] as well as you know the street you grew up on, you notice a single thing that’s out of place.”

According to an official who spoke with the British daily, the IDF’s Unit 8200 performed the bulk of the intelligence work, utilizing custom AI tools and algorithms to process mountains of data regarding Iran’s leadership and their movements. The CIA also had a human source who provided key intelligence, according to the sources.