Israeli military says commandos raided missile factory in Syria in September
Military spokesman called nighttime raid on Iranian-led facility one of Israel’s most complex operations in years
Israel’s military said its special forces had raided an underground missile production site in Syria in September that it said was primed to produce hundreds of precision missiles for use against Israel by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The complex near Masyaf, close to the Mediterranean coast, was “the flagship of Iranian manufacturing efforts in our region”, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told a briefing with reporters on Thursday.
“This facility was designed to manufacture hundreds of strategic missiles per year from start to finish, for Hezbollah to use in their aerial attacks on Israel.”
He said the plant, dug into a mountainside, had been under observation by Israel since construction began in 2017 and was on the point of being able to manufacture precision-guided missiles, some with a range of up to 300km (190 miles).
“This ability was becoming active, so we’re talking about an immediate threat,” he said.
