JERUSALEM – Elite Israeli forces carried out a dramatic raid in Syria in September, destroying a secret underground long-range missile factory that contained information about Syria’s chemical weapons program, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). .
The IDF revealed the mission for the first time in a call with journalists on Thursday.
IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani said, “This is one of our most important and complex special operations in recent years, even in this complex year and a half.”
The IDF provided spectacular footage of Israeli commandos during the daring mission, as well as spectacular footage of the massive explosion that occurred after troops cleared the underground complex.
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IDF special forces inside a Syrian missile complex in September 2024. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
“The precision-guided missile factory or facility was dug underground into the side of a mountain,” an IDF spokesman said.
During the mission, information about Syria’s chemical weapons program was revealed.
“I’ve looked at some of them – notebooks and documents – and many of them contain very specific chemicals,” Shoshani said. “One of the things I saw was a chemical manual describing how to manufacture a missile at the end of the attack. The soldiers destroyed the facility, including machines and manufacturing, to ensure Israel’s security.”
Assad’s regime repeatedly used chemical weapons on its population during the nearly 14-year civil war that has torn the country in two. Hezbollah, a US-designated terrorist movement, played a key role in supporting Assad’s regime during the civil war.
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According to the IDF, the factory was designed to produce 150–350 missiles per year, including precision-guided missiles (PGMs). Commandos from the IDF’s elite air force unit Shaldag took part in the mission. The IDF said that 30 Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation.
An IDF spokesman told reporters that the purpose of the operation was “to target an Iranian-funded precision-guided missile factory inside Syrian territory near the border with Lebanon. The facility was designed for Hezbollah’s use from beginning to end. “Was designed to produce hundreds of strategic missiles.” Their airstrikes on Israel and for their Iranian axis in Syria.
“Due to the specific terrain and the underground location of this facility, we could not operate from the airspace. Moreover, last year on September 8, 2024, special forces had conducted a targeted night raid on the facility. More than 100 people were killed in this raid. More troops were involved. There were also dozens of aircraft, including helicopters and other types of aircraft.
Israeli Air Force Shaldag special forces raid a missile factory in Syria. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “I salute our heroic fighters for the courageous and successful operation in Syria.” “This was one of the most important preventive operations we have ever undertaken against the efforts of the Iranian axis to arm itself to attack us; it testifies to our courage and determination to act everywhere to defend ourselves.” Is.”
Following Hamas’s devastating invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of more than 1,200 people, including 40 Americans, Israel faced multi-pronged attacks from the Iran regime – Hamas’ main sponsor, Hezbollah; Houthis; and overthrowing the Bashar Assad regime in Syria.
Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel’s Channel 12, told Fox News Digital, “For years Israel’s view was that Iran acts as an octopus in the Middle East, with Tehran at its head having a nuclear program and weapons conventional terrorists. Are.” The organizations surrounding Israel were of the view that the weapons were meant to harass and occupy Israel while the head was moving towards nuclear capability, and so it was better to control them and focus on the main threat.
IDF officers watch the operation progress. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
“This perception was shattered on October 7 when it became clear that the weapons were not just a nuisance but an existential threat.”
The sophisticated commando attack on an underground Syrian factory could also be a major blow to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities located in the mountains.
Segal said, “After a year and a half devoted to cutting off the octopus’s arms, Israel stands at a historic crossroads for the confrontation in 2025 that Netanyahu has long wanted and for which history will judge him: the nuclear threat forever.” To finish for.”
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Hezbollah militants form a human barrier during the funeral procession for slain top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in the southern suburbs of Beirut, August 1, 2024. (Khalid Dessouki/AFP via Getty Images)
An IDF spokesperson said construction of the Syrian missile factory “began in late 2017 and finished in 2021 when manufacturing machinery was shipped to the site from Iran. Most of the factory’s components were obtained from Iran.”
An IDF spokesman said that from October 2023 to November 2024, Hezbollah fired more than 17,000 projectiles toward Israel, killing dozens of Israelis.
