Israeli special forces units attacked a missile production facility for Hezbollah in Syria, the New York Times reports, citing sources among Western officials.
We are talking about a research center located near Masyaf in northwestern Syria. Previously, the Israeli army had repeatedly carried out airstrikes against this facility, the source of the publication explained. They were unable to destroy the fortified facility; several dozen commandos were sent in for this purpose. Another goal of the operation was to gather intelligence on the development of weapons for Hezbollah.
Israeli special forces landed on the site from helicopters. Prior to the operation, several airstrikes were carried out in the city centre, killing 18 people and wounding 37 others, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Syrian territory. There were no losses on the Israeli side.
Reuters, citing sources, said that a group of Iranian military experts involved in the production of chemical weapons worked at this facility. NYT’s interlocutors said that in recent years they did not develop chemical weapons there, but rather produced missiles for Hezbollah.
The publication writes that, according to Israeli officials, Hezbollah decided to locate the facility in Syria because the group considered it less likely to attack a facility in Masyaf than in Lebanon. Experts point out that the facilities in Masyaf and the neighboring town of Mahrous play a key role in Syria’s weapons development.
The Times of Israel wrote that on September 8, a research center used by Iran to produce high-precision surface-to-surface missiles was attacked.
According to the Syrian state news agency Sana, an area near the city of Masyaf in the western province of Hama was attacked. The country’s Ministry of Defense also reported that several military facilities in the central region were attacked. The IDF did not comment on the attack, RBC notes.
Israel has been attacking Syria since the start of the country’s civil war in 2011. Its main aim is to stop attempts to transfer weapons to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and prevent Iranian forces from gaining a foothold near the border with Israel, The Times of Israel notes.
