Israeli special forces carried out a raid on an Iranian weapons facility in the Masyaf area in Syria earlier this week, according to a number of unconfirmed reports on Wednesday widely reported by Hebrew media, APA reports citing Times of Israel.
A series of previously reported alleged Israeli strikes hit military sites in central Syria late Sunday, killing at least 14 people, wounding 43, and sparking fires. Local Syrian media reported at the time that the strikes hit a scientific research center in Masyaf, which has long been associated with the manufacture of chemical weapons and precision missiles by the Syrian regime and Iranian forces.
However, the fresh reports were the first to claim that Israeli troops operated on the ground during the action at Masyaf, which lies about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Israel, though only about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Syria’s western coastline.
The opposition Syria TV network, reported that Israeli helicopters did not land on Syrian soil, but instead hovered as special forces rappelled down ropes.
The report said there were violent clashes in which three Syrians were killed, and two to four Iranians were captured. The report did not give details as to what happened to the Iranians.
Separately, Middle East researcher Eva J. Koulouriotis said she was told by a “security source” that the IDF operation had targeted an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility for the development of ballistic missiles and drones that also provided logistical support to Hezbollah.
The US-government-owned Al Hurra network reported that the raid targeted several sites in the Masyaf area and that their intensity and the death toll were “unusual.”
The Masyaf area, west of Hama, is thought to be used as a base for Iranian forces and pro-Iranian militias and has been repeatedly targeted in recent years in attacks widely attributed to Israel.
It contains the Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, which according to Israel is used by Iranian forces to manufacture precision surface-to-surface missiles.
Western officials have long associated CERS with the manufacture of chemical arms. According to the United States, sarin gas has been developed at that center, a charge denied by the Syrian authorities.
There was no comment on the strike from Israel, which rarely acknowledges individual operations in Syria.
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