The Financial Times reported that Israel carried out an extensive surveillance operation in Tehran prior to the airstrike that eliminated Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the report, Israeli operatives hacked into nearly all traffic cameras across the city, encrypting the footage and transmitting it to servers in Tel Aviv and southern Israel.

By the time security guards and trusted drivers of senior Iranian officials arrived near Pasteur Street, where Khamenei was killed on Saturday, Israeli intelligence teams were already monitoring their movements in real time. The operation reportedly gave Israel detailed knowledge of the area, allowing it to track personnel and coordinate the strike with precision.