Forty-four days after the elimination of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, Israel Hayom reveals the behind-the-scenes story of one of the most complex operations in Israel's history.
Working below the radar, a special team in the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate combined groundbreaking technological capabilities with artificial intelligence to make sure Khamenei would not escape the opening blow of Operation Roaring Lion.
The digital manhunt
On the eve of the operation, Khamenei was operating under extreme secrecy. He avoided meetings with outside figures and tried to stay hidden, knowing he was a target for elimination. But the IDF's Intelligence Directorate set up a special team that included the Research Division, Unit 8200, Unit 9900, the satellite intelligence unit, and the Operations Division.
The team managed to maintain continuous surveillance of mobile phones used by people in the supreme leader's inner circle and also gained access to internet-connected cameras across Iran in order to map his daily routine. All the information was fed into a covert artificial intelligence system that deciphered his movements. "A flexible method was developed that allowed the IDF to eliminate Khamenei at several locations simultaneously, and in any way he chose to reach them," sources familiar with the details said.
40 officials in 40 seconds
The peak of the operation came on Feb. 28 at 8:15 a.m. local time. Close cooperation between the Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Air Force verified Khamenei's location inside a large compound in Tehran, alongside senior figures in the regime's security leadership.
The result was deadly: The IDF coordinated strikes on three different targets simultaneously. In just 40 seconds, using 40 precision-guided munitions, 40 senior Iranian officials were killed, dealing a fatal blow to the regime's command-and-control system.
Khamenei's profile in Military Intelligence described him as "a hawk who refused compromise." Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989, built a centralized system in which he was the supreme authority. He was described as having narrowed freedom of opinion in the country and weakened rival bodies in order to ensure absolute control.
He was the architect of the plan to destroy Israel through the "ring of fire" and Hezbollah. Military Intelligence sources said Khamenei had endorsed plans for a decisive blow against Israel, but those plans had not yet matured when the Oct. 7 attack was launched. "He was extremely stubborn on the nuclear issue and remained involved in force buildup even toward the end of his life," the profile said.
"Major chaos in Tehran"
After the elimination, his son Mojtaba was appointed as his successor, a choice that had not been self-evident, since Khamenei himself had previously had reservations about it. Mojtaba is considered no less extreme and hawkish than his father, but he stepped into oversized shoes in a shattered system.
"The system Khamenei designed has broken down," a Military Intelligence source said. "They are struggling to reach one another, and there is deep confusion between the military and political leadership over what requires the leader's approval. The new leader is operating with a sense of persecution, and the regime has still not stabilized." The IDF says it is already identifying signs of a lack of governance, not only on Iran's periphery but in the heart of Tehran itself.
