The AI Assassin: How Israel Built a Digital Manhunt to Vaporize Khamenei and His Inner Circle
Explosive new details reveal how the IDF used a clandestine AI system to track Ali Khamenei via Iranian cameras and phones, enabling a 40-second precision strike that killed the Supreme Leader and 39 top officials.
Israeli military intelligence used an artificial intelligence system, fed by surveillance from phones and internet-connected cameras across Iran, to track Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before he was killed on February 28, according to new details first reported by Israel Hayom.
A dedicated team inside the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, drawing together the Research Division, Unit 8200, Unit 9900, and operational planners, built what amounted to a digital manhunt infrastructure, Israel Hayom reported Sunday, citing unnamed Military Intelligence Directorate officials.
Israeli intelligence maintained continuous surveillance of phones used by members of Khamenei's inner circle and accessed connected cameras across Iran to map his routine. That data was then processed by a covert AI system engineered to predict his movements and close off escape routes, according to the report.
Crucially, the system was designed not merely to locate Khamenei once, but to generate multiple simultaneous targeting options. A source cited by Israel Hayom said the method allowed the IDF to strike "at several locations simultaneously," regardless of the route he chose.
The decisive moment came at 8:15 a.m. local time on February 28, when intelligence and Israeli Air Force assets confirmed Khamenei's presence at a large compound in Tehran alongside senior regime security officials. Israel then struck three targets simultaneously, killing Khamenei and 39 other senior Iranian officials within 40 seconds using 40 precision-guided munitions, according to Israel Hayom.
The AI system fused conventional intelligence, satellite data, communications intercepts, and camera feeds into a single predictive tool, reflecting, the report noted, a broader shift in how artificial intelligence is now deployed in military operations, from a peripheral support role toward functioning as a central operational layer in high-value targeting.
World Israel News reported that a Military Intelligence Directorate source described the Iranian regime as experiencing "major chaos" since Khamenei's death, and said it has still not stabilized. The killing of Khamenei and dozens of other senior officials dealt a severe blow to Iran's command structure, Israeli officials said.
Reuters reported separately that Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Supreme Leader, was seriously wounded in the same February 28 strike and has remained out of public view, deepening uncertainty over decision-making authority in Tehran.
Some reports say his legs were seriously injured, with one amputated. His face was also badly damaged.