How Israel neutralized a critical Iranian missile threat in Syria

Yaakov Lappin

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IDF special forces operators arrive at the Masyaf missile production plant in western Syria, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Office.
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Israeli Air Force Shaldag commandos inside the Masyaf missile production plant in western Syria, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Office.

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An imminent and active threat

The facility was a key component of Iran’s strategy to arm its regional proxies, enabling the production of hundreds of precision-guided missiles annually, Shoshani said, adding that the missiles posed a severe threat to the Israeli home front.

The missile facility was fully operational for just a month before the operation. It represented the culmination of years of Iranian investment and planning. Israeli intelligence indicated that construction began in 2017 and was completed in 2021, although the advanced machinery and missile assembly lines were only installed by 2024. The factory was equipped to produce missiles with ranges of up to some 300 kilometers (186 miles).

“This was a flagship project of Iran in Syria,” said Shoshani. “This was one of a kind in Syria. This factory in size, in its ability, in its significance to the Iranian axis and for Hezbollah and other groups in Syria, it posed an imminent and active threat to the State of Israel.”

The nighttime raid involved more than 100 Israeli special forces soldiers on the ground, supported by dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters. Naval vessels provided additional firepower and intelligence support, according to the military.

The IDF commandos landed by helicopter, encircling the compound to secure the area before entering the facility.

The planetary mixer and missile engines at the Masyaf facility in western Syria, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Office.

During the operation, soldiers dismantled critical manufacturing machinery, including a planetary mixer (a device used to mix round products) essential for missile production. They also retrieved intelligence documents, such as chemical handbooks detailing missile production processes.

These materials were transferred to the Intelligence Directorate for analysis. The compound was then destroyed, ensuring it could no longer be used to manufacture missiles.

All IDF soldiers returned safely—a testament to the meticulous planning and implementation of the operation.

The production goals at the Masyaf facility in western Syria, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Office.

Strategic value for Hezbollah

The factory’s proximity to the Syrian-Lebanese border is a major clue regarding its strategic value for Hezbollah, which has relied on Iran for advanced weaponry. The site’s destruction delivered a severe blow to Iran’s efforts to establish missile production capabilities in Syria.

The timing of the operation was critical. In the months leading up to the strike, Hezbollah had escalated its attacks on Israel, launching hundreds of projectiles per day. Between October 2023 and November 2024, Hezbollah fired more than 17,000 projectiles, killing dozens of Israelis. Some of these were precision-guided missiles, and Hezbollah had hoped to receive even more powerful missiles from the Masyaf facility.

According to an IDF infographic, the Masyaf factory was intending to produce surface-to-surface ballistic missiles such as the M220, with a range of 70 kilometers (44 miles); the M302, formerly a rocket converted into a precise missile with a 130-kilometer (81-mile) range; the M600F, also known as a Fateh 110 missile, which had a range of 250-300 kilometers (155-186 miles) and can be fired from a stationary launcher or a truck; and M122 short-range 40-kilometer (25-mile) missiles, which can also be fired from a truck.

IDF fighters at the Masyaf missile production plant in western Syria, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Office.

The raid is part of Israel’s broader campaign against Iranian weapons smuggling and production in Syria into Lebanon.

“This operation was a statement to the fact that we will not allow Hezbollah or any other terror organization on our borders to have these strategic weapons that can harm and kill our civilians,” said Shoshani.

The underground nature of the Masyaf facility required a ground operation rather than an aerial strike, as aerial attacks on their own were deemed insufficient against such hardened targets.

In recent years and up until a few months ago, Syria was “very comfortable for the Iranian regime to operate in,” said Shoshani.

Looking ahead, he said, despite the fall of the pro-Iranian Assad regime, “we are already on the look out to make sure that they [the Iranians] are not getting back to it [Syria] and make sure that the routes between Syria and Lebanon remain ineffective.”

This vigilance, he said, is based on the understanding that Iran “will look for new ways to challenge us in the future.”

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