The Israeli Air Force has carried out one of the largest raids in its history, with 120 special forces destroying an underground Iranian missile factory in Syria. No special forces were injured.
This is reported by The Times of Israel.
The raid took place on September 8, when Bashar al-Assad was in power in Syria and Israel had not yet launched its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The raid, dubbed “Operation Many Ways,” targeted an underground facility that Iranian forces were using to produce precision missiles for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Assad regime in Syria.
The facility, codenamed Deep Layer, was located underground at the Scientific and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, in the Masyaf area of Syria, west of Hama. It was set up at a depth of 70–130 meters, making it almost impossible to destroy from the air.
Construction of Deep Layer began in 2017, and in 2021, Iran, having completed the earthworks and construction work, began importing equipment for mass production of missiles. In the following years, equipment was imported and tests were conducted on the production line.
The facility was not yet fully operational when Israel launched its operation, but it was in the final stages of being declared operational by Iran. At the time of the raid, at least two missiles had been manufactured there, and rocket engines had already entered mass production.
The Israel Defense Forces estimated that this plant is designed to produce between 100 and 300 missiles per year, including long-range missiles of up to 300 kilometers, precision missiles with a range of up to 130 kilometers, and short-range missiles of up to 40–70 kilometers.
How the raid was conducted
On the evening of September 8, 100 fighters from the Shaldag unit and another 20 fighters from Unit 669 boarded four CH-53 Yasur heavy transport helicopters and departed from an air base in Israel for Syria.
For air support, they brought in two more attack helicopters, 21 fighter jets, five drones, and 14 reconnaissance aircraft. Another 30 aircraft were waiting in Israel in case anything went wrong.
Six helicopters flew over the Mediterranean Sea away from the Lebanese coast and then crossed into Syrian airspace over the coastline. The helicopters flew low to avoid Syrian radar and air defense systems. The Masyaf area had the second largest concentration of air defenses in Syria, surpassed only by Damascusʼs air defenses.
Once on the ground, the special forces split up. The first team began securing the area, while the second team advanced to the entrance, killing two guards. The other team positioned themselves on a nearby hill, from where they launched a small drone to observe the raid and eliminate anyone approaching the facility. There was no one inside.
The Israeli military moved along the factoryʼs production line, attaching bombs to all the equipment. Their fighter jets bombed the surrounding area to prevent Syrian soldiers from approaching the factory. When the special forces had planted all 300 kilograms of explosives, they were taken away by aircraft. From the aircraft, they detonated the bombs.
IDF estimated that the Israeli military killed approximately 30 guards and Syrian soldiers during the raid.
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