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Hacked Tehran Traffic Cameras Fed Israeli Intelligence Before Strike On Khamenei (calcalistech.com) 197

Posted by BeauHD from the behind-the-scenes dept.
An anonymous reader shares a CTech article with the caption: "A brilliantly executed operation." From the report: Years before the air strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli intelligence had been quietly mapping the daily rhythms of Tehran. According to reporting by the Financial Times (paywalled), nearly all of the Iranian capital's traffic cameras had been hacked years earlier, their footage encrypted and transmitted to Israeli servers. One camera angle near Pasteur Street, close to Khamenei's compound, allowed analysts to observe the routines of bodyguards and drivers: where they parked, when they arrived and whom they escorted. That data was fed into complex algorithms that built what intelligence officials call a "pattern of life," detailed profiles including addresses, work schedules and, crucially, which senior officials were being protected and transported. The surveillance stream was one of hundreds feeding Israel's intelligence system, which combines signals interception from Unit 8200, human assets recruited by the Mossad and large-scale data analysis by military intelligence.

When US and Israeli intelligence determined that Khamenei would attend a Saturday morning meeting at his compound, the opportunity was judged unusually favorable. Two people familiar with the operation told the FT that US intelligence provided confirmation from a human source that the meeting was proceeding as planned, a level of certainty required for a target of such magnitude. Israeli aircraft, reportedly airborne for hours, fired as many as 30 precision munitions. The strike was carried out in daylight, which the Israeli military said created tactical surprise despite heightened Iranian alertness. The Financial Times reports that the assassination was a political decision as much as a technological feat. Even during last year's 12-day war, when Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen Iranian nuclear scientists and senior military officials and disabled air defences through cyber operations and drones, Israel did not attempt to kill Khamenei.

The capability to do so, however, had been built over decades. Former Mossad official Sima Shine told the FT that Israel's strategic focus on Iran dates back to a 2001 directive from then-prime minister Ariel Sharon instructing intelligence chief Meir Dagan to make the Islamic Republic the priority target. What distinguishes the latest operation, according to the FT, is the scale of automation. Target tracking that once required painstaking visual confirmation has increasingly been handled by algorithm-driven systems parsing billions of data points. One person familiar with the process described it as an "assembly line with a single product: targets." Further reading: America Used Anthropic's AI for Its Attack On Iran, One Day After Banning It
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Hacked Tehran Traffic Cameras Fed Israeli Intelligence Before Strike On Khamenei More

Hacked Tehran Traffic Cameras Fed Israeli Intelligence Before Strike On Khamenei

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  • In other news (Score:4, Insightful)

    by aldousd666 ( 640240 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:03AM (#66020112) Journal
    Traffic Cams are being installed everywhere in the USA

    • Re:In other news (Score:5, Informative)

      by RJFerret ( 1279530 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:17AM (#66020138)

      If only they were traffic cams, the Flock surveillance scanners provide license plate tracking and/or facial recognition. They aren't for monitoring traffic, they're for searching an individual's travels. They've been repeatedly used for stalking.
      And they've been found to be woefully insecure.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by 0xG ( 712423 )

      +1
      Surprised that more people are not commenting on the ubiquitous installation of Flock cameras everywhere. And the fact that they are very insecure and easily hacked is the least problem with them; the privacy implications are staggering.

  • Incredible (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:04AM (#66020114)

    Maybe Israel can locate the missing Epstein files and jail surveillance

  • In other news, the committee tasked with finding a successor to Khamenei has been bombarded.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

      In other news, the committee tasked with finding a successor to Khamenei has been bombarded.

      Those responsible for sacking the people that have just been sacked have been sacked.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by shilly ( 142940 )

      I had read that the Iranians built a 4x succession plan to help with resilience. I’ve also read that Israel has killed at least two of the people layered into the 4x plan for several key positions eg defense minister and supreme leader. I bet some defence analyst somewhere is tracking it eg Jane’s but I’ve not looked

  • But why? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by fuzzyfuzzyfungus ( 1223518 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:32AM (#66020172) Journal
    Is anyone else puzzled about the logic behind hitting him now? Sure, there's some amount of supremacy nerd 'noone is beyond our reach' wank value to targeting someone through the CCTV system; but why hand a fairly unpopular theocrat who is already old enough that succession planning is an urgent problem basically the most PR-friendly death imaginable at the same time as you provide his government with a plausible argument along the usual 'need to take necessary measures during the current crisis' lines?

    That's a more or less instant upgrade from 'increasingly pathetic reactionary with questionable public support' to 'martyred by jews and international zionism' for a guy who was otherwise not long on options for shoring up his popularity.

    • Re:But why? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by quonset ( 4839537 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:49AM (#66020220)

      Is anyone else puzzled about the logic behind hitting him now? Sure, there's some amount of supremacy nerd 'noone is beyond our reach' wank value to targeting someone through the CCTV system; but why hand a fairly unpopular theocrat who is already old enough that succession planning is an urgent problem basically the most PR-friendly death imaginable at the same time as you provide his government with a plausible argument along the usual 'need to take necessary measures during the current crisis' lines?

      That's a more or less instant upgrade from 'increasingly pathetic reactionary with questionable public support' to 'martyred by jews and international zionism' for a guy who was otherwise not long on options for shoring up his popularity.

      Because Israel said so. That's all you need to know. Now Israel can play victim when someone does something to them, completely ignoring they're the one who's been attacking its neighbors for decades.

      • Re:But why? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by sabbede ( 2678435 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @11:04AM (#66020270)
        Israel, on the day of its creation, was attacked by every one of its neighbors. And that happened several more times. Now, it has relations with most of its neighbors. The only neighbors it has trouble with now, are Iranian proxies.

        Oh, if you're concerned about Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, note that Russia has been getting its drones from Iran. Taking Iran out of the equation cripples Russia's war effort. Taking out Venezuela was also a major blow to Russia.

        • Re:But why? (Score:4, Interesting)

          by skam240 ( 789197 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @11:42AM (#66020372)

          Yes, turns out Israel's neighbors weren't thrilled on a country being founded by the outgoing colonials for European Jews to colonize thus displacing the native Muslims.

          This is why many Jews were against the creation of Israel at the time, it was always bound to piss off the locals.

        • It’s always about the grift. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

          Push the brown people out to make room for a casino that will get built by unpaid contractors.

        • Re:But why? (Score:5, Insightful)

          by belthize ( 990217 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @01:32PM (#66020670)

          I'm curious the extent of your knowledge of Jewish settlements in the area pre-formation of the actual state of Israel, what happened there from the early 1800s (post Napoleon) through the early 1900s and the roll the British and US played along with the Ottoman empire in settling European Jewish refuges back into the area, the atrocities that Jewish settlers performed etc etc etc.

          I'm not taking sides in terms of Jewish settlers vs Palestinians, but hearing people talk about the region as if it started from scratch the day the nation was officially declared is just as tiring as hearing people talking about Iran without having a clue who Mossadegh was, the roll British Petroleum and the CIA played or why1979 happened and why this most recent attack is almost certainly not going to resolve the issue but ensure it continues for another 50 to 70 years.

        • srael, on the day of its creation, was attacked by every one of its neighbors.

          The night before partition, Jewish settlers tried to move onto Palestinian land so when the morning came, they could claim facts on the ground. They were caught doing so.

          There was never a problem when Jews came to Palestine. The Palestinians worked with them, brought them into their homes, helped them farm, and so on. It was only when the Zionists like Shamir got invovled that things went to hell.

          • Yes, the history of the place is in fact very old.

            For more than 2 thousand years those lands belonged to Jews. Then Babylonians took the lands from the Jews and destroyed their temple. Then Persians took the lands when it came under Cyrus. Cyrus was liberal and allowed the Jews to construct the temple. Then it came under the Romans who destroyed the temple (which is where the al-aqsa mosque stands now). Then it went to Umar, who built a muslim structure that would eventually become the mosque. Under islamic

        • Re: But why? (Score:4, Informative)

          by toutankh ( 1544253 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @05:55PM (#66021268)

          Israel, on the day of its creation

          Interesting choice of words. The fact that said "creation" was a combination of land and property theft, deportation and mass murder is probably not relevant. The creation of Israel is ethnic cleansing. It is well documented.

      • My question applies to the Israeli interests as well. I'm not pleased that we are obligated to pretend that they are an ally that is worth the trouble because of fundie lunatics; but I'm also unclear how their interests are served by killing the guy now; when it's basically a free set of rose-tinted glasses for him; rather than years ago when a succession crisis would have been much more likely or not at all to let the usually-undignified process of authoritarian geriatrics clinging to power take its course
        • They had the oppurtunity all along, it's a matter of blowing everything up because a proxy group attacked you (H-Boys) or directly (last year). When Iran attacked as a state, all handcuffs were released. Blow it all up, no questions. Bye bye

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by skam240 ( 789197 )

          Well it keeps Netanyahu's constant corruption and bumbling of things off the front news pages.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by dgatwood ( 11270 )

            Well it keeps Netanyahu's constant corruption and bumbling of things off the front news pages.

            America's leadership has a similar problem.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kbahey ( 102895 )

        Is anyone else puzzled about the logic behind hitting him now? Sure, there's some amount of supremacy nerd 'noone is beyond our reach' wank value to targeting someone through the CCTV system; but why hand a fairly unpopular theocrat who is already old enough that succession planning is an urgent problem basically the most PR-friendly death imaginable at the same time as you provide his government with a plausible argument along the usual 'need to take necessary measures during the current crisis' lines?

        That

    • The hope is that decapitating multiple layers of Iranian leadership, starting with Khamieni, will cause chaos, confusion and fallouts among the rest of the cadres. That might give Iranians a fighting chance, however slim that might be, to take control of their country.

    • Re: But why? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by physicsphairy ( 720718 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @12:05PM (#66020432)

      Is anyone else puzzled about the logic behind hitting him now?

      It was just 7 weeks ago the people across every strata of Iranian society were pouring out by increasing millions to protest his government and seemed like he was about to be ousted (to the point that many top government officials were wiring all their money out of the country in preparation for exile).

      Then, also just 7 weeks ago, he ordered his forces to just... kill all of them. Machine guns fired into crowds. Survivors were found and executed at the hospitals. In one case they set a market on fire, trapping the protestors, and then shot anyone who fled. Tens of thousands were killed. More were arrested and sentenced to death. Anyone who wanted to recover their loved one's body had to pay an exorbitant fee to the government for the bullets. The streets were now patrolled by armed militia breaking up groups of even a few people. No more protests.

      And your question is - "Why not just let the old guy live out his days"?

      I'm sure in your society unpopular leaders are removed from power. That's not how it works in a despotic regime in which the ruling party has a complete monopoly on force.

      • The problem with making a moral argument is that we (the US) famously have zero morals.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        Is anyone else puzzled about the logic behind hitting him now?

        It was just 7 weeks ago the people across every strata of Iranian society were pouring out by increasing millions to protest his government and seemed like he was about to be ousted (to the point that many top government officials were wiring all their money out of the country in preparation for exile).

        Then, also just 7 weeks ago, he ordered his forces to just... kill all of them. Machine guns fired into crowds. Survivors were found and executed at the hospitals. In one case they set a market on fire, trapping the protestors, and then shot anyone who fled. Tens of thousands were killed. More were arrested and sentenced to death. Anyone who wanted to recover their loved one's body had to pay an exorbitant fee to the government for the bullets. The streets were now patrolled by armed militia breaking up groups of even a few people. No more protests.

        And your question is - "Why not just let the old guy live out his days"?

        No, the question is why now, and not several weeks ago, when it actually could have done some good. If the U.S. had taken out Iran's military and leadership in a crippling rapid response strike, they could have saved the lives of many of those protesters, and those people would have then been in a position to drag Iran kicking and screaming to some sort of functioning free society. Instead, they are dead, leaving the tyrannical leaders as the only thing preventing warlords from taking over and making the

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by shilly ( 142940 )

      If that was a serious question, here’s a reasonably dispassionate answer. It’s complicated. Lots of motivation for acting, both noble and ignoble: Epstein/wag the dog, Project 2025 and Christian nationalism, the Iranian regime and its proxies being severely weakened militarily and economically in the last couple of years, a long term strategic assessment by Western and GCC policy makers that Iran was a major destabilising threat in the form of nuclear ambitions, ballistic missiles and proxies. W

      • 75% of Iranians who aren’t Muslim

        That's incorrect. Most Iranians are Muslim. Almost all. They are Shia Muslims though. While the rest of the Muslims all over the world are Sunni. Shia and Sunnis are kind of enemies. Because those who murdered Muhammad's (their prophet) family became the Sunnis. And those that sided with the prophet's family became Shia. So Iranian muslims don't care about Palestine problem because they are Sunni. But for some very bizarre reason, both Khomeini and Khamenie deeply cared about the Palestinian problem. Perhap

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by shilly ( 142940 )

          I’m mot incorrect; what’s true is that the stats are highly contested. The stat saying almost all Iranians are Shia Muslims comes from the Iranian regime. It ignores the very obvious fact that many Iranians are actually Zoroastrians, and there are significant other religious minorities including Christians and Bahai, although much persecuted. When you look at independent surveys like GAMAAN, the stats are startlingly different. I also note that 50k out of 75k mosques have closed down.

          The most li

    • I don't think the calculus on his death changed at all, and probably still favored letting him live. My understanding is that he's never been difficult to find, and his office was never particularly secure.

      I think what did it is that he had an in-person meeting with around a dozen other top officials. While the balance might have said to leave him alive, the chance to take them out with one shot changed things.

    • One of the best questions about the this clusterfuck that all of this is. Maybe Trump though he'd get some cheap PR out of it like when Obama did Osama in.

      Khomeini was at home doing his regular routine. He could have chosen to get in the bunkers, but he did not do so. It would appear he wanted to be martyred. He was also old, accomplished, and possibly outdated. And by staying alive he would have probably had to live through Israel bombing his family members instead.

      What is important for what follows is tha

    • Yea, because he really was lacking influence and his hyper toxic ideas were really not catching on AND he was not getting increasingly unhinged, murder by orders of magnitude more people than USUAL.

      And there are not five other interests that were served very well by this strike.

      I am as surprised as you they did not consult with you about this, you clearly know better..

  • Nice can of worms (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Baron_Yam ( 643147 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:33AM (#66020174)

    Assassination of top leadership is now an accepted political standard. No war and capture and trial, just kill heads of state when the opportunity arises.

    The reason that's been frowned upon isn't because some of these heads of state aren't monsters the world is better off without, it's because it makes things less stable and diplomacy more difficult.

    It makes further assassinations more likely, which is bad for heads of state, but it also makes wars more likely, which is bad for everyone else.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by nicc777 ( 614519 )
      Don't worry - the Board of Peace have you covered /s

    • Assassination of top leadership is now an accepted political standard. No war and capture and trial, just kill heads of state when the opportunity arises.

      Yup and I think we all expected more from a FIFA Peace Prize winner. /s :-)

    • Quite frankly targeted assassination of top leadership would be a preferred method rather than long drawn out conflict like the Ukraine war that's been impacting the lives of citizens on the ground for years.

  • Excellent example (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:35AM (#66020180)

    This is an excellent example why even seemingly unimportant IT systems like traffic cameras or cheap webcams can have major security implications when hacked.

  • Hmmm (Score:4, Insightful)

    by DrXym ( 126579 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @10:54AM (#66020242)
    Maybe they hacked the cameras or maybe they just leaked this story to protect the method they actually used. Which could be as simple as having a guy who moved in across the street.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by HiThere ( 15173 )

      I think "the hacked the traffic cameras" should be the default assumption...given a REALLY wide interpretation of "hacked". (Like, perhaps, guessed the web page address.) I'd probably guess something along that line even without being prompted. since I doubt there are many glassholes in Iran. The main alternative that occurs to me is "tracked the cell phone used by one of his guards".

    • It's clear that Israel had human assets on the ground. They got body confirmation on the killing of Khomeini before Iran.

    • Maybe they hacked the cameras or maybe they just leaked this story to protect the method they actually used. Which could be as simple as having a guy who moved in across the street.

      According to one report, the CIA had an asset on the ground that provided confirmation that set the timing of the attack. Of course, that, too, could be a misdirection.

  • They're giving GREAT tools into the hands of good people...

    Until they're in the hands of not so good people.

    People are not careful enough in these regards.

  • War Powers Clause (Score:5, Informative)

    by fjo3 ( 1399739 ) on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @11:05AM (#66020274)
    Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution, grants Congress the power to declare war. Not the president. Expecting the Legislative branch to do their job is completely ridiculous at this point, but it's still worth remembering that theoretically, declaring war is not within the Executive branch's powers. Not that it has stopped any president for the last 80+ years - the last time the U.S. Congress formally declared war was during World War II, specifically on June 4, 1942, against Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.
  • That is what AI basically is - an alien intelligence. It is hard to visualize and be concerned about. This is why Anthropic did the right thing to require no domestic spying by the pentagon. Watching some scifi movies is the best way to see how things could play out. This is a plot point in a lot of movies but only a few emphasize the tracking aspect
    1) Person of Interest - Samaritan arc
    2) Captive State - aliens run world as a subjugated state, just how do you resist that? Very very craftily. free on YouT
    • > This is why Anthropic did the right thing to require no domestic spying by the pentagon.

      Yes, it only does foreign spying, which is ok, while our institutions buy data from other countries who are also legally spying on us. Everything checks out.

  • UK will love the new means of oppression of thought-crime, eehhhhh I mean, improvement of population morale and truth!
    Now they can directly filter out who must not be caught, and focus on the meanie online posters.

  • ...that the late Ayatollah was working from his office. As he said publicly. The now-officially-martyred.

  • Interesting and horrifying, I'm not sure why they have cameras with enough fidelity on every traffic light to identify people's daily movements, but then that someone would go through the trouble of hacking, monitoring, and cataloging this much data is crazy. Makes me wonder what else they are doing, I imagine they don't have to hack their own infrastructure making this easier to accomplish domestically Makes you question how governments are using AI tech companies, I hear domestic spying, but I think the
  • Tech has been the Achilles heel of Iran and it's proxies. They have been owned on pages, telephones, tracking systems and you name it.

    The next time your InfoSec professional starts asking about the office robot vacuum cleaners and other smart devices don't think it's because they're bored.

    Let's face it, most businesses have no idea how vulnerable they are until they have to explain how their failing was not criminally negligent to a regulator and pay fines.

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