Declassified Footage: IDF Dismantled Underground Missile Manufacturing Compound Deep Inside Syria Before Assad Fell
Yerushalayim — On September 8th, 2024, during a special operation by the Israeli Air Force, troops from the Shaldag Unit raided and destroyed an underground compound for manufacturing precision missiles in the Masyaf area, deep in Syrian territory.
The special operation took place just two months before the two week offensive Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which led to the fall and fleeing of President Bashar Al-Assad in December, as rebels entered Damascus.
The fallout of the Assad regime was swift, with the global holding its breath. As factions both for and against Assad vied for power, the Israeli Air Force swiftly took out the former Syria Army stockpiles of chemical weapons, munitions, missiles, bases, aircraft and ships, as we previously reported.
For years, the Israeli Intelligence Directorate conducted extensive intelligence gathering and monitoring, confirming the value of the target. In the months leading up to the operation, a plan was launched for the Israeli Air Force to destroy it.
Footage from the body-cams of Shaldag Unit soldiers
“On the one hand, we are sending in a large force to a distant area,” the IDF chief of Staff told the soldiers of the Shaldag Unit prior to the special operation in Syria. “On the other hand, I feel that I have been observing this operation unfold over the past few months in various stages, from the initial concept to testing that it was operationally possible. I think the level of preparedness here is exceptionally high.
The soldiers landed using helicopters, with fire and intelligence-gathering support from aircraft, fighter jets, and naval vessels of the Israeli Navy. The raid’s target was an underground compound deep in Syrian territory, funded and supported by Iran. The compound was a flagship project for Iran’s efforts to arm its terror proxy, Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border.
The IDF alleges the compound included advanced assembly lines designed to manufacture precision-guided missiles and long-range rockets, significantly increasing the supply of missiles to Hezbollah and other Iranian terror proxies in the region.
During the operation, IDF forces reached critical machinery for manufacturing precision missiles, including a planetary mixer, numerous weapons, and intelligence documents, which were transferred for investigation. The soldiers destroyed the compound and safely returned to Israeli territory.
In a statement, the IDF said it “will continue to act strategically and professionally with various methods and tactics to remove threats directed at the citizens of Israel.”
“I salute our heroic fighters for the daring and successful operation deep in Syria,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said about the operation. “This was one of the most important preventive operations that we have taken against the efforts of the Iranian axis to arm itself in order to attack us; it attests to our boldness and determination to take action everywhere to defend ourselves.”
Never Miss A Story!
Join Shmooze.News on WhatsApp and stay up to date!
