In a statement released on Thursday, Israel’s military revealed details of a covert operation carried out in September 2024 to dismantle an underground missile production facility in Syria. The operation, named “Operation Many Ways,” involved 120 elite Israeli commandos and targeted a facility codenamed “Deep Layer,” located in a mountain near Masyaf, over 200 kilometres from Israel’s border.

According to Israeli military sources, the facility was funded by Iran and was used to produce precision-guided missiles for Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria. The operation, carried out under the cover of darkness, involved meticulous planning and coordination by Israel’s specialised units, including Shaldag and Unit 669.

The Israeli Air Force released footage of the daring raid, which highlighted the precision and expertise of the operation. The video showed commandos boarding helicopters at an undisclosed base, which then flew to the target site. Once on the ground, the troops entered the facility, facing gunfire from Syrian forces. The footage also captured the commandos returning safely to Israeli territory after completing their mission, without sustaining any casualties.

At the time of the operation, Bashar al-Assad's regime was still in power, and Israel had not yet launched its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The facility, codenamed "Deep Layer", was located at the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) near Masyaf, Syria, over 200 kilometres north of Israel's border and 45 kilometres from Syria's western coastline.

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Inside Iranian-Funded Syrian Facility

The facility, shaped like a horseshoe, had three entrances: one for raw materials, one for completed missiles, and a third for logistics and office access. It contained at least 16 rooms, including those for missile production, rocket fuel mixing, and missile body construction. 

While not fully operational, the facility was nearing completion and had already produced two test missiles, with rocket engines being mass-produced. The IDF estimated it could produce 100-300 missiles annually, including long-range, precision-guided, and short-range rockets.

How 120 Israeli Commandos Destroyed Missile Facility 

On the evening of September 8, 100 members of Shaldag and 20 from Unit 669 boarded four CH-53 helicopters, along with two attack helicopters, 21 fighter jets, five drones, and 14 spy planes, departing from an Israeli airbase. Thirty additional aircraft were on standby. The helicopters flew low over the Mediterranean and Lebanon's coast before entering Syria, staying beneath radar detection to avoid Syrian air defences. The team planted around 660 pounds of explosives along the production line, targeting key machinery like planetary mixers.

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After placing charges, the team detonated explosives remotely, causing a blast equivalent to one ton of explosives, which shook the ground. The commandos completed the mission in under three hours, returning on the same helicopters. The IDF reported about 30 Syrian guards killed, while Syrian media reported 14 fatalities and 43 injuries.