The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released footage of an undercover raid inside Syria conducted months ago and aimed at destroying what it described as an Iranian missile manufacturing facility.
The IDF published the images on social media, explaining it declassified content of "Operation Many Ways," which took place on September 8th, before the fall of the Assad regime.
120 members of special forces units destroyed the facility, which mostly supplied Hezbollah in Lebanon. It was located in the Masyaf area of Syria, west of Hama and more than 200 kilometers from the Israeli border. The IDF added that no soldiers were injured during the operation.
The military detailed that the operation began to be planned in 2017 after an airstrike took out a rocket engine manufacturing site aboveground in that area.
DECLASSIFIED: In September 2024, before the fall of the Assad Regime, our soldiers conducted an undercover operation to dismantle an Iranian-funded underground precision missile production site in Syria.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 2, 2025
Watch exclusive footage from this historic moment. pic.twitter.com/s0bTDNwx77
The attack led Iran to take operations between 70 and 130 meters underground, making it practically impossible to destroy from the air. Iran began bringing production equipment in 2021 but was not completely active by the time Israel conducted the operation. Only two missiles had been manufactured as part of testing operations, but rockets were being mass produced.
Had it been finished, the facility would have been able to produce between 100 and 300 missiles a year, including long-range ones.
Inside the facility, 50 commandos systematically planted explosives along the production line, targeting key equipment, including three planetary mixers. A quad bike transported the explosive materials, totaling 300 kilograms, and a remote detonator was positioned at the facility's entrance. The remaining 50 soldiers maintained perimeter security while IAF jets continued striking nearby targets to prevent reinforcements from arriving.
The explosives were detonated as the helicopters returned to extract the soldiers after two and a half hours on the ground. The blast, described as equivalent to one ton of explosives, was visible and felt from a distance. Syrian media later reported 14 dead and 43 wounded, while the IDF estimated around 30 Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation.
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