Israel has released a video and details of a daring and complex commando operation it conducted in Syria last September which saw IDF elite Air Force unit commandoes blow up an underground Iranian missile manufacturing plant. The operation was held when Bashar al-Assad was in power and Israel had not yet begun air strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The operation was carried out on the night of September 8 at a massive facility built by Iran near the Syrian town of Masyaf, about 200 kilometres from Israel, according to The Times of Israel.
The missile manufacturing plant was an underground facility built by Iranian forces to supply precision missiles for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Assad regime in Syria.
Though Israel had intel about the factory since 2017, it couldn't have been destroyed from the air as it was built 70-130 metres underground. Iran finished the construction work by 2021 and began delivering equipment since then. The factory was on the verge of full industrial production and could manufacture 150 to 300 large, precision-guided missiles annually. If it became operational, Israel would have found it hard to target as it would have been fortified.
Israeli military dubbed the mission "Operation Many Ways'. As many as 120 commandoes from the Air Force unit were entrusted with the task of sneaking into Syria discreetly to blow up the underground facility code-named 'Deep Layer'.
The blueprint of the operation was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The commandoes had already trained for months by drilling various models and conducting scenarios and devising backup plans.
#Syria: Israel released the video of its commando (landing) operation in September 2024 against an underground facility reportedly used by Iran to manufacture precision missiles near #Masyaf (W. #Hama).
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) January 2, 2025
Documents were seized & site ultimately was detonated. https://t.co/y6DYIRRG5J pic.twitter.com/9t1k71HlIZ
On September 8, the 120 commandoes boarded four CH-53 'Yasur' heavy transport helicopters and set off from an airbase in Israel for Syria. They were joined by two attack helicopters to provide close air support, 21 fighter jets, five drones and 14 spy planes and other aircraft. Another 30 aircraft waited in Israel on standby in case something did not go to plan.
The six helicopters flew over the Mediterranean Sea crossing into Syria above the Israeli coastline. The choppers managed to evade the air defence system by flying unusually.
It took just 18 minutes for the helicopters to fly from Israel's coast to the facility. Around the same time, IAF fighter jets, drones and Navy missile boats launched a strike at several other Syrian targets. This was to trick the Syrian military into believing this was a regular Israeli attack.
The first helicopter landed close to the entrance, dropping off several commandos, while another two choppers simultaneously landed at another position in the area overlooking the facility. The fourth helicopter waited behind for several minutes before landing where the first one had, dropping off additional troops.
Another unit of 20 soldiers waited on board choppers to treat any wounded commandos. The first team secured the area while the second team moved towards the entrance, killing two guards. Another team waited on a nearby hill from where they flew a small drone to observe the raid and eliminate anyone approaching the facility.
While there weren't many Syrian guards keeping watch, the main challenge was getting through the heavy-duty doors at the entrance to the underground site. The commandoes entered the site and used forklifts to break open the entrances.
At the same time, another team of 50 commandos carrying explosives arrived at the entrances on quad bikes to quickly move to and through the facility to plant the explosives. They placed explosives on all equipment, especially all three planetary mixers. Around 300 kilograms of explosives were used. They were connected to a remote detonator planted at the entrance to the site.
All 100 then moved to the initial landing site and were picked up by the choppers after two and a half hours on the ground. As they boarded, the chief explosives specialist set off the bombs.
The effect of the explosion resembled a "mini earthquake", soldiers said.
The helicopters then flew away from the facility back toward the sea, and then to Israel. Some of their equipment, including the quad bike, was left behind. Hundreds of Syrian soldiers reached the site only around an hour after the troops left, according to the military.
As many as 30 guards and Syrian soldiers were killed during the entire operation. The commandoes also captured some intelligence documents at the facility.
