Israel is using a “new, classified” artificial intelligence platform programmed to extract information on senior Iranian officials, according to a new report. Since the US and Israel launched their unilateral war on Tehran, Tel Aviv and Washington have claimed to have assassinated more than 250 senior officials, including Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The AI system lies at the heart of this operation. It is designed to scan massive volumes of data collected from Iran and identify patterns in the movements and behaviour of top leaders that help them pinpoint targets with precision, The Washington Post reported.
Iran, even after over a month of a full-blown war, appears to be holding its ground while becoming increasingly cautious about being tracked by Israeli intelligence agencies. To limit surveillance, Tehran cracked down on cellphone use by security guards last year. These measures did slow intelligence gathering, but only briefly.
Even when barred from using a cellphone on the job, “you will go check your phone” the minute your shift ends, one official told the outlet. “Nobody can live in a bubble.”
These breaches, small on their own, would have limited impact without the backing of the powerful AI system. Israeli officials say that the new platform is being used to sift through massive volumes of data collected from Iran that help them uncover patterns and clues about the movements and behaviour of key leaders.
AI advances have “provided Israel with a way to take advantage of data that was always available but was previously impossible to process,” said Raz Zimmt, the director of Iran research at the Institute for National Security Studies and previously served in IDF units, including 8200.
The impact of these capabilities was first visible during last year's 12-day military campaign when US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Alongside infrastructure, Israeli forces also moved against top military figures through coordinated operations.
Another operation on June 13 resulted in the death of Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who led IRGC's aerospace force, after his movement from one location to another was detected mid-operation, a former senior Israeli military officer said.
At the same time, the system is not flawless. For example, in early March, Israel carried out a strike on a key site in Qom linked to Iran's Assembly of Experts. It was anticipated that members would be physically present for a meeting on succession planning. Although the structure was hit, those expected to attend were not harmed as the meeting had shifted online.
