Two hours of Israeli special forces raided a missile factory in Syria

On January 2, the Israeli Air Force confirmed that it had dispatched 120 special forces to participate in a raid campaign to destroy “Iran’s missile factory in Syria” in September 2024. At that time, Bashar al-Assad was still in power in Syria and Israel had not yet launched high-intensity attacks against the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon.

The target that Israel is aiming for is nicknamed “Underground facility”, located on the campus of Syria’s Scientific Research Center (SSRC) and deep in the heart of the mountain near the city of Masyaf in Hama province, about 30 km from the Syria-Israel border. 200 km north and the west coast of Syria about 45 km.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says the facility plays a key role in Iran’s program to arm Hezbollah. Special Task Unit No. 5101 “Shaldag” and Search and Rescue Unit No. 669 of the Israeli Air Force were selected for the mission.

Iran began planning to build an underground factory in Syria in 2017 to avoid enemy attacks. The facility is located at a depth of 70-130 m inside the mountain and cannot be destroyed by air strikes. Iran started digging tunnels on the SSRC campus in late 2017 and completed it four years later.

According to IDF, the project is built in a horseshoe shape with one gate to transport input materials and another gate to take finished products out. Another nearby exit serves logistics and leads to offices connected to the production area.

Along the horseshoe-shaped area are at least 16 rooms containing rocket and missile production lines, including raw material mixers, body fabrication rooms and paint rooms.

The underground missile factory was not yet completed at the time Israel launched the operation. According to IDF estimates, the complete facility can produce 100-300 projectiles per year, including missiles with a range of 300 km, precision guided missiles with a range of 130 km and rockets that can hit targets. at a distance of 40-70 km.

Thanks to its location near the Syria-Lebanon border, the facility also helps significantly shorten the transportation route for missiles and components for Hezbollah. Convoys carrying weapons from Iran through Syria to Lebanon have been attacked by the Israeli air force many times in recent years.

Israeli officials proposed the idea of ​​destroying underground facilities in Syria many years ago, but only seriously considered it after the outbreak of conflict between the country and armed groups in the region.

Two months before the campaign, soldiers from Shaldag and Unit 669 began rehearsing many scenarios, to ensure there was always a backup plan if the campaign went off plan. The IDF also increased intelligence data collection to determine landing locations, how to infiltrate and destroy the plant, as well as threats they might face such as air defense and Syrian ground forces.

The Israeli Air Force chose September 8, 2024 to launch the campaign for many reasons, including favorable weather conditions for helicopters to transport soldiers to the combat area.

That evening, 100 special forces soldiers from the Shaldag unit and 20 members of Unit 669 boarded four CH-53 Yasur heavy transport helicopters to go to Syria, accompanied by two armed helicopters providing air support.

The Israeli Air Force dispatched 21 fighters, 5 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 14 aircraft of all types to support the campaign. 30 fighter jets in Israel also received orders to be ready to launch in case of unplanned situations.

Six helicopters flew low along the Lebanese coast before entering Syria to avoid enemy radar and air defense. The Masyaf area then had the second densest air defense network in Syria, only after the capital Damascus, with dozens of radars and air defense systems.

The Israeli helicopter group took 18 minutes to fly from the starting point to the underground factory in Syria and was not detected.

At the same time, fighters and UAVs coordinated with Israeli warships to launch a large raid on SSRC facilities and a number of other locations in Syria, to hide the helicopter group’s movements and distract the Syrian army. , making them think that this was an air strike like hundreds of other incidents that have taken place over the years.

The raid was also intended to distract and lure Syrian soldiers away from the SSRC. However, dozens of Syrian soldiers moved to this location when the raid began, causing the IDF to decide to airstrike the surrounding roads.

The first CH-53 helicopter landed near the entrance, releasing a number of special forces. Two others landed at high points around the science center. The last plane circled for a few minutes and then landed near the first plane, releasing more special forces.

Four helicopters then flew to the gathering point to wait for the task force. 20 members of Unit 669 remained on the helicopter, ready to evacuate and assist comrades injured in combat.

According to the IDF, the facility has not reached full operating capacity and has few guards, with no one inside during the raid. The biggest challenge the Israeli special forces team faced was getting through the heavy-duty doors at the entrance to the underground facility.

50 minutes after launching the operation, the first special forces team entered through the logistics entrance and led to the office area. They approached the two main gates from the inside and used a forklift to open the doors. The IDF previously determined that the underground facility would have forklifts and sent a number of special forces to learn how to operate this vehicle.

The group carrying explosives was now at the entrance, using four-wheeled terrain vehicles to speed up movement and set explosives.

Fifty Israeli special forces moved along the production line in the underground facility, planting explosives on all equipment, especially three fuel mixers. The remaining 50 people protect the perimeter.

Israeli fighters continued to bomb the surrounding area to prevent Syrian soldiers from approaching. After installing about 300 kg of explosives and connecting with the crew located at the entrance gate, Israeli special forces withdrew to the original landing point and boarded the helicopter, ending the two-and-a-half-hour invasion.

An explosives expert from the Shaldag unit then closed the detonator, triggering the explosion. Soldiers involved in the operation said the explosion could be seen in the underground facility and it was felt “like a small earthquake”.

Four CH-53s took off, flew to the sea and returned to Israel. Israeli special forces left behind some equipment, including off-road vehicles. They also obtained some documents showing that the underground facility was about to become operational. Hundreds of Syrian soldiers stormed the SSRC campus about an hour after Israeli special forces left.

The Israeli army said it killed about 30 Syrian guards and soldiers in the operation, while Syrian media reported 14 people were killed and 43 injured in the attack.

The IDF assessed the operation as successful when it destroyed the target and no soldiers were injured during the campaign. According to Israeli officials, the underground facility is no longer active and Iran withdrew its forces from Syria after the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad.