The IDF’s daring commando operation to destroy a newly constructed underground missile production facility in Syria was revealed in full detail on Thursday. The IDF disclosed new and extensive information about the heroic operation carried out on the night of September 8.
In a rare ground raid, Israeli Air Force (IAF) commandos from the Shaldag Unit targeted the massive facility built by Iran near the town of Masyaf, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Israel, deep inside Syria.
Footage from the body-cams of Shaldag Unit soldiers
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IDF commandos deep inside Syrian missile production factory
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
30 Syrian guards eliminated
The facility was on the verge of full industrial production, capable of manufacturing 150 to 300 large, precision-guided missiles annually for Hezbollah, Bashar Assad’s regime and pro-Iranian forces in Syria.
This development aimed to bypass the weapon smuggling routes from Iran through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon, which the IDF frequently targeted. Commandos discovered eight preliminary rocket engines already produced on-site but, as the facility had yet to begin full operations, its destruction at this stage was critical to prevent it from becoming a fortified and much harder target.
On the night of the strike, approximately 30 Syrian soldiers guarded the facility. Most were eliminated in preliminary airstrikes by IAF fighter jets and helicopters seven minutes before the Shaldag commandos landed.
Four more soldiers were neutralized at close range by the commandos on the ground. None of the IDF operatives were injured and the mission was deemed a resounding success.
The mission was personally presented by Lt. Col. B., the Shaldag Unit’s commander, to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. After approval from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the operation was launched.
The day of the operation: the sequence of events on the ground
Lasting three hours under the cover of night, the takeover of the underground complex was executed in precisely 18 minutes from the moment the helicopters touched down in Syria.
Dozens of additional Syrian soldiers were deployed to the site an hour later but were either attacked or fled after realizing the area was secured by a formidable force. Reinforcements included motorbike riders and troops in jeeps.
Hundreds of additional Syrian soldiers arrived approximately an hour after the Israeli forces had withdrawn. That same night, the IAF carried out additional strikes on multiple targets across Syria including at nearby Syrian military industry sites.
The IDF assessed that it took several days for the Syrian army and Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to realize the magnitude of the attack on this strategic site, codenamed "Deep Layer" by the IDF.
Its construction began in 2017 as a safer alternative to similar above-ground industrial sites targeted by the IDF over the past decade. The fall of the Assad regime in the last month likely contributed to the IDF's decision to declassify and share the operation's details.
IDF intelligence's critical realization
The mission was meticulously planned over a year of war in which Shaldag commandos executed over 800 operations in Gaza and Lebanon, even during the war's first month, suffering the loss of 13 operatives and officers.
Preparations and modeling were accelerated in the three months preceding September after senior military and political officials were convinced of the mission's importance, despite the risks involved — such as helicopters flying at dangerously low altitudes over Lebanon and Syria — sometimes as low as 60 feet — carrying over 100 Israeli soldiers.
In recent years, the IDF Intelligence Directorate monitored Iran’s construction of the "Deep Layer" facility. Last year, as attacks on Hezbollah intensified, the unit concluded that the facility would be central to restoring Hezbollah's firepower capabilities post-war.
Left operational, it could have enabled Hezbollah to produce advanced precision missiles with ranges of 40 to 300 kilometers (25 to 186 miles), capable of accurately targeting central Israel in significant numbers.
The intelligence team accurately predicted the facility's layout, which included 16 production rooms, laboratories, an assembly hall, offices and storage units. Constructed in a horseshoe shape, with raw materials entering from one side and completed missiles exiting the other, it maximized security and efficiency.
Eight fuel mixers for rocket engines have already been installed in the production halls, but the plant has yet to be declared operational. Consequently, security was relatively low, with only dozens of guards stationed at various posts. At night, when the underground facility was empty, the entrances were locked.
Only a simple rope marked the entrance at the compound's shabby gate, still under construction. This weapons factory was unique in Syria, as it was built underground, shielded by natural concrete and layers of 60 meters to 120 meters (197 feet to 394 feet) of rocky soil. Excavation work was completed in 2021 under the close supervision of Israeli military intelligence.
The IAF waited weeks for favorable weather conditions to carry out the operation, as even a minute of low cloud cover could jeopardize the mission. The Masyaf area is one of the most heavily fortified in Syria after Damascus, protected by advanced Russian-made SA-22 air defense systems and other anti-aircraft measures, including shoulder-launched missiles.
Helicopters nearly touched water
The helicopters flew extremely low, along carefully chosen routes, with diversions and close escort by two Apache attack helicopters, allowing them to evade the Syrian radar systems deployed in the area to protect the site.
"The entire Air Force was on high alert that night, but it wasn't enough — intelligence personnel and the Navy provided operational support, fire cover and the most precise intelligence possible for every phase of the mission," according to the IDF.
The IAF skillfully coordinated the operation with the Russians, who are stationed at their major base in Syria and with their nearby S-400 missile batteries, ensuring there were no misunderstandings or early detection that could disrupt the mission.
The helicopters carrying the troops flew very low over the Mediterranean Sea, almost skimming the water, and maintained this altitude over enemy territory en route to the target.
"We practiced numerous scenarios and responses, dealt with the topography and used the area's valleys to our advantage, despite the risks of flying through them," the military described.
"We knew a full Syrian division might respond, so speed was essential. The most critical aspect was breaching the facility's locked doors quickly. The IDF Chief of Staff constantly stressed reducing the operation’s duration," according to the IDF.
The operation was directed on the ground by Lt. Col. B. and the highest-ranking officer to set foot in Syria that night —Col. G., commander of the IAF’s 7th Squadron. The Israeli Air Force allocated four control rooms to manage the operation and synchronize all its components.
"Scenarios like a drone failing to secure an infiltration route for a few minutes require immediate backup," the IDF noted. "Every extreme scenario was rehearsed in advance."Shaldag operatives landed at two preplanned temporary landing zones, 700 meters and 1.5 kilometers (0.4 miles and 0.9 miles) from the target.
Just minutes before their landing, they saw explosions resulting from fighter jet strikes that isolated the compound and eliminated dozens of its guards. Inside the facility, they found weapons-casting machinery, rocket fuel imported from Iran, Iranian avionics equipment and materials that reinforced assessments that the plant was on the verge of becoming operational.
According to the IDF, a former officer who headed a Military Intelligence unit had advocated to take action against the facility for years. In the years leading up to the operation, the target became a high priority for decision makers.
“We avoided opening a front against Assad for strategic reasons for a long time," the IDF said. "But it was clear this was part of Iran's vision — encircling Israel with a ring of fire supported by advanced manufacturing capabilities in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria."
Initially, the mission seemed impossible: flying into a missile-laden, heavily fortified area, landing troops and safely extracting them. "The critical phase was the extraction," the IDF noted. In preparation, daily intelligence reviews were conducted on the site and its surroundings for months before the operation.
When the ground shook
In the nearby town of Masyaf, residents remained unaware, assuming the events were routine Israeli airstrikes elsewhere, as the IDF had conducted during the war. Four attack helicopters deployed no fewer than 100 Shaldag soldiers on the ground, equipped with heavy gear, explosives and a utility ATV left behind to facilitate the force's extraction at the mission's end.
Additionally, 20 operatives from 669th Unit were deployed near the target, accompanied by an intensive care team and a mobile field operating room. This ensured immediate treatment for severe injuries without the need to evacuate troops to Israel mid-operation.
The rescue unit's medics were prepared to stabilize the wounded on-site, enabling the mission to continue without jeopardizing its success.
Within 90 minutes of covert, low-altitude flight, 100 Shaldag soldiers, most of them reservists, landed at the two sites. The first group swiftly breached the compound, clearing the remaining Syrian soldiers and breaking through the armored doors to the underground facility, while the second group simultaneously deployed explosives inside the factory.
The first team sprinted 700 meters from the landing zone to the locked gates leading into the underground compound. "Fifty minutes after landing, the forces were already inside," the IDF described.
"The troops used Syrian forklifts found inside to expedite the placement of explosives. This was pre-planned and practiced back in Israel, knowing those forklifts were there,” the statement added.
IDF combat engineers had meticulously prepared a special demolition plan to ensure the site's complete destruction: a quarter-ton of Israeli explosives was strategically placed, augmented by roughly 700 tons of local rocket fuel that completed the task.
As the demolition expert, S., activated the trigger, the troops took cover and say they could swear that "the ground beneath them trembled at that moment."
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The operation involved 120 commandos, six helicopters, 14 transport planes, 21 fighter jets and five UAVs. In total, 49 munitions were fired, with 70 aircraft in the air for over three hours, supported by thousands of officers and soldiers on the ground in Israel.
Upon the mission’s completion, IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said: "Amid this justified war, this was a crucial event for the nation's security. As we return safely, we can take pride and tell future generations about the significant step we took for Israel's security."
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IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
“The Shaldag Unit’s operation deep inside Syrian territory joins a series of courageous missions the IDF has conducted over the past few months in Gaza, the Dahieh in Beirut and Iran, with the goal of destroying the Iranian Axis’ missile manufacturing capabilities," IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said.
"For years, Iran formed a ring of rocket and missile fire around Israel’s borders, and we have struck both the ring and its head."