The Israeli military says commandos raided a missile facility in Syria in September By Reuters
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s military said on Thursday its special forces raided an underground missile production facility in Syria in September that it said was likely to produce hundreds of ballistic missiles to be used against Israel by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The facility near Masyaf, in Hama province near the Mediterranean coast, “was the center of Iran’s manufacturing efforts in our region,” Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters.
“This facility is designed to produce hundreds of missiles a year from start to finish, for Hezbollah to use in its attacks on Israel,” he said.
He said the facility, dug into the side of the mountain, has been operated by Israeli intelligence since construction began in 2017 and is capable of producing long-range precision-guided missiles, some of which have a specific type. up to 300 km (190 miles).
“This ability was starting to work, so we are talking about the risks that exist now,” he said.
Details of the September 8 attack have been reported in Israeli media in recent days, but Shoshani said this was the first confirmation by the military, which normally does not comment on special forces operations of this nature.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media said at least 16 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the west of the country.
Shoshani said the attack, which lasted several hours at night, was “one of the most difficult operations the IDF has carried out in recent years”. Along with the airstrikes, involving dozens of planes and about 100 military helicopters, they found weapons and confiscated documents, he said.
“At the end of the attack, the soldiers dismantled the facility, including the equipment and the production equipment itself,” he said, adding that dismantling the facility “is the key to ensuring Israel’s security”.
Israeli officials have accused the former Syrian government of President Bahar al-Assad of helping Lebanon-based Hezbollah get weapons from Iran and say they are committed to stopping the flow of weapons into Lebanon.
As Assad’s government collapsed late last year, Israel began a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons production facilities to ensure they did not fall into the hands of its enemies.
