Watch: How Israel wiped out missile facility in Syria in three hours with over 100 commandos

The Deep Layer facility was reportedly constructed after a 2017 Israeli airstrike on an aboveground missile production site.

The Israeli military revealed details and footage of an undercover operation it conducted to dismantle an Iranian-funded underground precision missile production site in Syria. According to Israel, the operation took place on September 8, 2024. It involved 120 commandos destroying the Masyaf-based center within three hours. The center produced between 100 and 300 missiles in a year, the IDF said.

The “special Air Force operation” involved more than a hundred Kingfisher fighters, the Israeli Air Force said.

Sharing footage of the operation, the Israeli Defence Forces on X wrote, “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.”

“The operation took place on September 8th,” the IDF wrote in another tweet.

Another footage, shared by the Israeli Air Force, was captioned, “Now we can reveal: Over 100 Kingfisher fighters raided and destroyed an underground site for the production of precision missiles, in a special Air Force operation last September, in the Masyaf area deep inside Syria.”

“The fighters landed in the area by helicopters, accompanied by a fire cover and collection of aircraft, fighter jets and naval ships. The target of the raid was an underground site deep inside Syria that was built with Iranian funding and support,” the Israeli Air Force wrote in another post.

“The forces reached critical machinery for the production process of precision missiles, including a planetary mixer, numerous weapons and intelligence documents that were transferred for investigation. The fighters destroyed the compound and returned to the country safely,” it said.

Later, in an address, Air Force Commander, Major General Tomer Bar said, “In the midst of this justified war, there was an event that was essential to the existence of the state. Now that we are on the ground in peace for a moment, having accomplished the mission, we can be proud. We can tell future generations that we did a significant deed for Israel’s security.”

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.Watch exclusive footage from this historic moment. pic.twitter.com/s0bTDNwx77

Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 2, 2025

“For years, the Intelligence Division conducted continuous intelligence collection and surveillance that clarified the target’s value. Months prior to the operation, a plan was initiated to destroy it using Air Force forces. The site was a flagship project of Iran in its effort to arm its proxies on the northern border of the State of Israel. The complex included advanced production lines designed to produce precision missiles and long-range rockets, thereby significantly increasing the scope of missile supplies to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies in the region,” the Israeli Air Force wrote.

According to the Times Of Israel, the raid was internally dubbed “Operation Many Ways” by the Israel Defense Forces and was aimed at destroying an underground facility used by Iranian forces to manufacture precision missiles for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Assad regime in Syria.

The facility, codenamed by the military “Deep Layer”, was dug into a mountain at the Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, in the Masyaf area of Syria, west of Hama. The site lies more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the Israeli border, and some 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Syria’s western coastline, the report stated.

The military said the raid was carried out successfully by the IAF’s elite Shaldag unit, along with the search and rescue Unit 669. No soldiers were injured during the entire operation. The horseshoe-shaped structure featured three primary entrances: one for raw materials, another for completed missiles, and a third for logistics and office access. Sixteen production rooms lined the facility, including mixers for rocket fuel, missile body construction areas, and paint rooms. The IDF estimated the facility's annual output could have ranged between 100 and 300 missiles, capable of reaching targets up to 300 kilometres away.

According to NDTV, the commandos completed their mission in under three hours, departing aboard the same helicopters that had delivered them.