Since 2018, the IDF, and Mossad, have been watching a site near Masyaf, in western Syria, where the Iranians, along with the help of Syrians, have been building a surface-to-surface precision-missile factory deep underground where Israeli airstrikes would not be able to reach and destroy it. The missiles were intended, once built, to be transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon. On at least two occasions, the Israelis planned to attack the site, but decided against it. Now, as the war with Hezbollah heats up, the Israelis decided it was time to make sure that the surface-to-surface precision missiles being built at the plant never saw the light of day. Shaldag, the Israeli Air Force’s elite commando unit, staged a remarkable raid, rappelling down from helicopters and landing right on top of the facility, which they then destroyed with explosives they had brought with them. More on the raid can be found here: “IDF destroys Iran’s ‘Deep Layer’ facility in Syria in boldest operation yet – Axios,” Jerusalem Post, September
The IDF’s General Staff Reconnaissance Unit destroyed on Sunday a Syrian underground factory for precision missiles built by Iran, according to a Thursday Axios report.
According to the report, this was the boldest operation the IDF has carried out in recent years against Iranian targets in Syria. The destruction of the factory was reportedly a significant blow to Iran and Hezbollah’s covert effort to produce medium-range precision missiles in Syria….
On Wednesday, a Syrian opposition TV channel and Greek Middle East expert Eva J. Kalluriotis reported that the airstrikes were merely a cover for an Israeli ground operation in Masyaf. Three sources familiar with the operation confirmed to Axios that the IDF General Staff Reconnaissance Unit conducted a ground raid and destroyed a precision missiles manufacturing facility….
According to the Axios report, the Iranians began constructing the underground facility in coordination with Hezbollah and Syria in 2018 after a series of Israeli airstrikes destroyed most of Iran’s missile production infrastructure in Syria.
The Iranians decided to build a deep underground factory within a mountain in Masyaf to be impervious to Israeli airstrikes.
The Iranian plan was to produce precision missiles in a protected facility near the Lebanese border, allowing for quicker delivery to Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the report, Israeli intelligence discovered and monitored the construction process for over five years, code-naming the Iranian facility “Deep Layer.”
The Iranians assumed that if they built the Masyaf precision missile factory deep enough underground, IDF airstrikes would not be able to destroy it. Iran knows that the Americans have yet to provide Israel with their most powerful bunker-buster bombs, the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is a precision-guided, 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) “bunker buster” bomb used by the United States Air Force. Israel has in the past received 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs from the U.S — this year, deliveries of those were put on temporarily hold by the Biden administration — but these would hardly be sufficient to destroy the underground site built at Masyaf.
According to Axios’ report, an airstrike alone would not be sufficient to destroy the facility, so the IDF opted to coordinate such an alleged attack with a ground operation. The IDF considered carrying out the operation at least twice in recent years, but it was not approved due to the high risks involved….
So the IDF launched airstrikes in the area surrounding the precision-missile site, taking care to hit all the roads leading to the underground facility. These airstrikes served both as a diversionary tactic, and also ensured that all the roads leading to the site of the underground facility were cratered, preventing the Syrians from reaching the site and defending it against the assault by commandos of the IAF’s Shaldag unit.
That IAF attack in 2018 was on the site where the building of the weapons facility had just begun. In the six years since, the Iranians have managed to complete that underground facility, where the Iranians knew that Israeli airstrikes would. be insufficient to destroy it. They never expected that Israel would be able to penetrate Syrian airspace that deeply, given that the area above the Masyaf facility was bristling with anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, and it never occurred to them that the IDF might land commandos right on top of the facility. But that is exactly what the Shaldag commandos managed to accomplish in this latest raid.. They rappelled down from helicopters hovering just above the site, seized documents, and set off explosives that they had brought with them on the ground just above the missile factory site, allowing them to destroy it. No Syrians or Iranians could at that point access the site; Israeli airstrikes made all the roads to the site impassable.
It’s one more example — there have been so many — of the deeds of derring-do and devastation that the IDF manages to pull off so frequently, while Israel’s enemies in Hamas, in Hezbollah, and especially, in Iran, watch in horror, wondering what will come next from those diabolically clever Zionists.
somehistory says
Why not just say it was done and not give so many details about **how** it was done?
It is not necessary to give a play by play as if this is a game. Just don’t tell the enemy what he needs to know so he can prevent the next time from defeating him.
A lot of fictional *operations* happen in movies and television. A lot of real-life operations have been shown in documentaries well after the facts…years after.
Criminals….including the terrorist kind….can learn from what they hear from the police/military and prepare for it. Don’t give them any kind of heads-up. Don’t feel the need to brag, or even just explain how things were done.
Peter WF says
I agree, don’t educate them. As per an activist when asked (chanting river to the sea) what river “Jordan”, what sea “Red Sea”. Leave them dumb. I haven’t made that up. Was on a radio show in Australia.
somehistory says
Thank you, Peter, for your response.
OLD GUY says
Totally agree unless the story on how they did it is false.
Sir Peter says
Don’t get your knickers in a twist, people – There are NO details given which the moslems don’t already know. That the air strikes were a diversion was blindingly obvious, even to an Arab, the second the facility exploded. To say that the raiders placed explosives on the ground above the facility is laughable and again, even to an Arab, patently false.
No details are given of how the IDF avoided the anti aircraft defences or how they got below to place charges. The Israelis are not stupid. All the info is carefully controlled to maintain security and/or sow misinformation.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I agree, but this report was out of the Jerusalem Post, and apparently, the IDF had no qualms about letting them have all that. Otherwise, it’s rather inane to describe the play by play rather than just deliver the bottom line
somehistory says
I saw from what source. I just think they would do themselves a favor if they kept some things back.
Kosh's Shadow says
I’m waiting for the Iranian nuclear facilities to go “BOOM!”.
Preferably during an inspection tour by Khameini and the other mullahs.
somehistory says
Israel says, “the gloves are off.”
“”Friday’s IDF strike on Beirut, which killed nearly a dozen members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force senior commanders, including the unit’s chief, Ibrahim Aqil, sent a message that Israel has decided to “take the gloves off” in its engagements with Hezbollah, Israel Defense and Security Forum CEO Lt. Col. (res.) Yaron Buskila told Maariv in the immediate wake of the strike.
The strike itself in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut is essentially a statement. It doesn’t matter who the target was. The fact that terrorists were struck in Beirut is a very significant message from Israel to Hezbollah,” Buskila said.
He continued, “Part of the decision is that there is no intention to continue playing this symmetric game that Israel has been playing with Hezbollah so far, and Israel understands that Hezbollah can respond significantly. For Israel, there is readiness for war, and the center of gravity is shifting to northern Israel. The IDF has decided that the Northern Command will become the main arena, while Gaza will become secondary. This is not just an empty statement; it’s a real, significant one, saying we are entering a campaign, even if it means entering a much tougher war.”
“Buskila continued, saying, “I think if Hezbollah believed that with the pager and radio attacks, Israel would stop because it didn’t want escalation, the strike in the heart of Dahiyeh is a very clear message to the contrary.”
He went on to say, “Iran and Hezbollah can understand that Israel is determined to move forward, and it’s also a message to the Americans. The Americans don’t want Israel to go into a campaign against Lebanon right now.”
He said a lot more……
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-gloves-are-off-beirut-strike-signals-end-of-symmetry-with-hezbollah-expert-says/ar-AA1qWy3G?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=fc39bb39c134438097d5c546d907e476&ei=18
James Lincoln says
somehistory says,
“Israel says, “the gloves are off.”
Yes – excellent news.
And the IDF was still doing pretty well – even when the gloves were on.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I saw a tweet some days back of the IDF blowing up a missile/drone launcher/factory in Iran, rather than Syria
somehistory says
Leaving no stone unturned.
gravenimage says
Israel Destroyed an Underground Precision-Missile Factory in Syria
……………………………………………..
Great to hear!
Donna Maureen Rae says
The Israelis may have told USA how they did it, and DC leaks like a sieve.
tgusa says
The bunker buster is a precision-guided, 30,000 pound bomb employed only by the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Once released from the bat-winged bomber, the MOP is guided to targets by GPS and a pair of stubby fins. It was designed to attack deeply buried bunkers and tunnels and carries 5,300 pounds of explosives.
General Patton long ago said, fixed fortifications are man’s monument to stupidity. Little did he know that future weapons would make it unsafe for fixed fortifications deep underground.
Jim says
The biggest loudmouths in the US are located in Washington, DC, also more intelligence is gathered in WashDC from our congressmen and so representatives due to their big Egos.
SC says
Agreed on the level of detail. I would however have followed up by cluster mining the area denying them access for years. Screw the UN and their rules, they have proven time and time again they are anti Israel and pro terror
Sir Peter says
Don’t get your knickers in a twist, people – There are NO details given which the moslems don’t already know. That the air strikes were a diversion was blindingly obvious, even to an Arab, the second the facility exploded. To say that the raiders placed explosives on the ground above the facility is laughable and again, even to an Arab, patently false.
No details are given of how the IDF avoided the anti aircraft defences or how they got below to place charges. The Israelis are not stupid. All the info is carefully controlled to maintain security and/or sow misinformation.
Ram says
Bravo!Hats off to the daring IDF.
Ram says
Bravo!Hats off to the daring IDF.Congrats.