Israel's AI targeting system turns phone data into death sentence

The Israeli military has used an AI-powered targeting system to track and kill Hezbollah members in Lebanon, including Ahmad Turmus, a 62-year-old liaison. The system fuses data from smartphones, security cameras, Wi-Fi signals, drones, and social media to create threat profiles. Experts warn that AI can misidentify civilians, as it relies on patterns rather than logic. Turmus was killed on February 16, 2026, after receiving a call from an Israeli officer. The system, using platforms like Palantir's Maven, processes data in seconds, a task that previously took weeks. Hezbollah has adapted by using smaller units and secure communications. The article highlights concerns about false positives and the ethical implications of automated targeting.