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The Israeli Air Force struck Iran’s missile factory in Syria on 8 September 2024. This operation was carried out by a special unit of the Air Force. On Thursday, January 2, the Army shared a video related to this. A day before this (January 1), Israel had given this information.
The special unit of the Israeli Air Force carried out this operation 200 km away from the Israeli border. Here Iran had built an underground missile factory. 120 Israeli commandos went inside the tunnel and laid explosives for two and a half hours and came out safely.
This tunnel was built by digging a mountain in the north of Israel and west of the coast of Syria. This tunnel was built under the Center for Scientific Studies and Research (SSER or CERS).
When Israel carried out this operation. At that time there was Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria. Till this time Israel had not even engaged in a direct war with Hezbollah.
Location- Deep Layer, Operation- Many Ways”
The Israeli Army named this operation as ‘Operation Many Ways’ and the location of the strike as ‘Deep Layer’. This location is near Masyaf city of Syria.
According to the Chief of Israel Defense Force (IDF), Iran used to give the missiles manufactured in this factory to Lebanon’s Hezbollah organization. This operation was carried out by the Shaldag unit of the Air Force. Search and Rescue Unit 669 was also present with him. No Israeli soldier was harmed during the entire operation.
According to IDF, Iran started building this factory (deep layer) in 2017. In the same year, Israel had destroyed the rocket engine manufacturing facility CERS in an air strike. After this, Iran started building an underground missile factory here.
Iran had completed the construction of this factory by 2021. Besides, production of missiles was also started.
This video of the underground factory has been uploaded by the Israeli Army on social media.
Mission planning and training
According to the IDF, the idea to destroy this factory was many years old. However, during the war with Hamas and Hezbollah for the last one year, Israel started planning for this. Due to the training and capabilities of the Shaldag unit, the Air Force selected it to carry out this mission.
Soldiers of Shaldag and Unit 669 were being trained for this two months before the strike. Many models of locations were also included in this training. Through this, planning was done to keep the backup ready during the operation.
The intelligence unit was made more active before the operation. Through this, models of the soldiers’ landing location and how to enter and destroy the tunnel were prepared. Preparations to deal with possible threats and the Syrian army were also taken into account.
Model of the tunnel prepared by the Israeli Army.
8 September- The Day of Action
September 8 was chosen for Operation Many Ways because the weather was clear on this day. This would have made it easier for helicopters to transport troops to the location in the evening. In the evening, 100 commandos of Shaldag Unit and 20 soldiers of Unit 669 left for the mission.
They were sent to Syria from Israel’s airbase through four heavy transport helicopters CH-53 Yasur of the Air Force. To assist them, two combat helicopters, 21 fighter planes, 5 drones and 14 spy planes were also sent.
Apart from this, 20 aircraft were kept on standby in Israel, so that the situation could be taken under control if the plan failed. The helicopters were flying at low altitude to avoid radar.
Other planes and drones accompanying the helicopter targeted different locations. During this period heavy attacks were carried out. Their objective was to divert the attention of the Syrian Army and destroy its defense facilities.
After landing at the location the team was divided into two parts. The first team covered the location completely. The other team reached the gate to enter the tunnel. As soon as he reached here, he killed two guards of the gate and the commandos entered the tunnel.
For the next 2 hours, the commandos carried out the mission by laying 300 kg of explosives in the entire tunnel. Detonators were installed at the tunnel gate. After this all the commandos returned in the helicopter. As soon as he returned, the tunnel was blasted.
According to a commando involved in the mission, the explosion was so strong that a mild earthquake also occurred there. The Syrian army reached the spot an hour after the attack. By then everything was over there. According to the Israeli army, it had killed about 30 guards and Syrian soldiers during the entire operation.
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