Iran Build a Vast Camera Network to Control Dissent. Israel Turned it Into a Targeting Tool
Israel’s use of Tehran street cameras to help kill Iran’s supreme leader shows how everyday surveillance can turn into a wartime weapon.
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 23, 2026 (AP) — The role of Israel's hijacking of Iran’s street cameras in the killing of the country’s supreme leader underscores how surveillance systems are increasingly being targeted by adversaries in wartime.
Hundreds of millions of cameras have been installed above shops, in homes and on street corners across the world, many connected to the internet and poorly secured. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have enabled militaries and intelligence agencies to sift through vast amounts of surveillance footage and identify targets.
On Feb. 28, Israel vividly demonstrated the potential of such systems to be hacked and used against adversaries when Israel tracked down Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with the help of Tehran’s own street cameras - despite repeated warnings that Iran’s surveillance systems had been compromised, according to interviews and an Associated Press review of leaked data, public statements and news reports.
