Israel and CIA Conduct Precision Strike on Khamenei Using Tehran Surveillance Systems

In a meticulously planned operation on February 28, 2026, Israeli intelligence and the CIA carried out a targeted daytime strike on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound in Tehran, killing Iran’s supreme leader.

A key to this success was a cyber breach: Israel hacked almost all traffic cameras in Tehran to continuously spy on Khamenei and his security detail, Financial Times (FT) reported on March 3.

Working alongside the CIA, Israeli military intelligence utilized this unprecedented access—along with mobile phone interceptions and social network analysis—to track Khamenei’s movements. By observing the daily routines of his bodyguards and drivers, operatives built a comprehensive “pattern of life,” granting them the real-time data needed to pinpoint the exact moment for the attack.

The operation also relied on electronic warfare to blind Khamenei’s protectors at the crucial moment. The FT reported that Israeli forces disabled roughly a dozen mobile phone towers in the vicinity of Pasteur Street, making lines appear busy and ensuring the Ayatollah’s security team received no advance warning of the incoming precision munitions.

As one Israeli intelligence officer noted, years of persistent surveillance meant operatives knew the Iranian capital intimately. “When you know the place like you know your own neighborhood, you can spot something out of place with the precision necessary for a successful strike,” the officer explained, highlighting the deep intelligence picture Israel had cultivated.

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This tactical success was framed as the inevitable outcome of Israel’s relentless intelligence gathering. The FT highlighted that efforts by Unit 8200—Israel’s signals intelligence division—combined with Mossad’s human sources, created a highly automated system that processed billions of data points to authorize the strike.

“Targeting intelligence is the most critical tactical issue in Israel,” noted Itai Shapira, a brigadier general in the Israeli reserves. “Once the decision is made, we provide the intelligence to make it happen.” This ethos forms the backbone of a broader strategy that includes eliminating Iranian nuclear scientists and bombing key military infrastructure.

However, the political ramifications of such a high-profile assassination are immense. The FT noted that while multiple intelligence officials emphasized the killing was ultimately a political decision designed to decapitate Iran’s leadership, it sets the stage for severe regional escalation and further conflict.

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The strike’s success hinged on the combination of real-time technical data and critical human intelligence. Sources confirmed that while Israel provided the signals intelligence, US operatives secured human confirmation on the ground that the Saturday morning meeting was proceeding as planned, allowing the jets to strike with absolute certainty.

While Khamenei’s death is viewed as a monumental victory for Israeli and American intelligence, it represents just one phase of a greater campaign. As the FT reported, this aggressive use of technological superiority has long been a hallmark of Israel’s strategy to destabilize Iran’s influence and counter its military advancements.

Earlier, it was reported that Lithuania was prepared to assist the United States in a military operation against Iran, potentially even sending troops, should Washington make such a request.

Asta Skaisgirytė, the chief foreign policy adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, confirmed that although no such request has been made, Lithuania would assess the situation with its NATO allies if it were to receive one.

“So far, we do not have such a request, and of course, if we received such a request, we would consider it together with other allies,” Skaisgirytė said, while stressing that the discussion of sending Lithuanian forces remains purely hypothetical at this point.

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