One of the key elements of the success of the SAS is the intelligence they gather before completing the missions. Here are five famous SAS missions and the intelligence that made it possible. Operation Nimrod: Iranian Embassy SiegeThe Iranian Embassy siege in London, known as Operation Nimrod, began on April 30, 1980, and ended with the SAS assault on May 5. Surveillance followed the suspects’ movements from Spain into Gibraltar, while intelligence sources provided information about identities, travel, and the suspected target. The operation ended with all three suspects being shot by undercover SAS personnel before a bomb was found in Gibraltar, but the intelligence and the decision-making remain disputed.