They arrived in separate cars, and none brought phones as it was well known that Israel could track them. However, Israel knew of the meeting by hacking the phones of bodyguards who accompanied them, according to the report.
The officials just managed to survive the pinpoint strike – although several guards waiting outside were killed – but the evident security lapse sent shock waves through Iran’s intelligence command.
“Infiltration has reached the highest echelons of our decision-making,” Mostafa Hashemi Taba, a former vice-president and minister, warned in late June.
Iranian officials acknowledged that the security breakdown was just one part of a long-running effort by Israel to penetrate Tehran’s most-guarded circles.
Israel’s efforts to eliminate Iran’s top military officials had been dubbed “Operation Red Wedding,” a reference to a bloody episode of TV’s Game of Thrones, the New York Times reported.