A banner in Tehran displays images of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes. (Archive – Reuters)

On June 16, the fourth day of the Israeli-Iranian war, the Iranian Supreme National Security Council held an emergency meeting inside an underground shelter 30 meters deep west of Tehran. The meeting was highly secretive, known only to senior Iranian officials and military commanders, following days of continuous Israeli airstrikes that destroyed military, governmental, and nuclear sites in the country and killed senior military and nuclear scientists.

According to a report published by the Washington Post citing Israeli and Iranian sources, officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian, heads of the judiciary, intelligence officials, and senior military commanders arrived in separate cars without carrying mobile phones. This precaution was taken to avoid Israeli intelligence tracking anyone carrying an internet-connected device. However, despite all precautions, Israel launched a precise attack shortly after the meeting began, dropping six bombs on the shelter’s roof targeting the entrance and exit doors.

Although the attendees were safe, several guards outside the shelter were killed due to the explosions. After the attack, Iran discovered that the breach was not inside the shelter itself but among the guards accompanying the officials. They used their mobile phones without sufficient precautions, including posting on social media, which enabled Israel to pinpoint the meeting location with high accuracy and carry out the precise strike.

Sasan Karimi, a political analyst and professor at Tehran University, said, “We know senior officials did not carry phones, but the guards and drivers did, and they did not follow precautions, so most of them were tracked.”

This incident reveals part of Israel’s long-term strategy to infiltrate Iran’s top security circles. Israel used technology and spies to identify the locations of nuclear scientists and senior military commanders, executing precise strikes during the first week of the war. The strategy involved reviewing files of 400 Iranian nuclear scientists, narrowing the list to 100, before directly targeting 13 scientists, according to Iranian statements.

After the attack, Iran began a comprehensive review of its security protocols. Senior officials and military and nuclear scientists were banned from using smartphones and social media, while guards were equipped only with radios. Phone carrying was allowed only for team leaders not accompanying officials. However, one guard violated the rules and brought a phone to a National Security Council meeting, enabling Israelis to carry out another precise strike.

Lessons Learned

This incident showed how small details like neglected mobile phones or sharing information online can lead to strategic breaches and expose vulnerabilities even in the most secure secret meetings. Iranian experts confirmed that Israeli technological superiority poses an existential threat, prompting Iran to restructure security protocols, tighten surveillance, and arrest dozens suspected of spying for Israel.