The Israeli military has managed to eliminate Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists by tracking their movements on the cell phones of security officials, The New York Times reported, citing its sources.
According to them, Iran's intelligence agency discovered a “serious security breach“ after Israel dropped bombs on a bunker in Tehran where senior officials of the Islamic Republic, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, were staying. Israel learned the location of the meeting by hacking the phones of the bodyguards accompanying them due to “careless use“ and posting messages on social media.
The newspaper says that Iran's supreme leader subsequently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered massive security measures, an increase in the number of bodyguards and a ban on the use of mobile phones and messengers, including WhatsApp, owned by the Meta corporation. It is noted that the authorities of the republic "have long suspected" that in this way Israel tracks the movements of military commanders and scientists, and now the guards can only carry radios with them.
Israeli officials also reported that the surveillance of Iranian nuclear scientists has been ongoing since the end of 2022 and the possibility of their assassination began to be considered in October 2024. However, Tel Aviv refrained from the operation in order to "avoid a clash" with former US President Joe Biden. At the same time, Israel has studied the files of all its known scientists, who, according to the newspaper, "participated in the Iranian nuclear project" in order to decided which one to “recommend for assassination“.
Israel launched a military operation against Iran on the night of June 13. Less than a day later, the Islamic Republic launched a retaliatory attack. The United States entered the conflict nine days after it escalated, striking Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. On the evening of June 23, Iran attacked the largest American air base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. US President Donald Trump then announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. The ceasefire took effect on June 24.