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Tahir Qureshi
Tahir Qureshi is a senior sub-editor at India.com, whose primary duties are writing news related to different beats like National. World, Business, and viral. He also breaks stories and then follows t ... Read More
New Delhi: The Israeli military and its infrastructure are considered to be the most sophisticated and strategically advanced of others.
For decades, Israel has been embroiled in armed clashes with neighbouring countries. Syria is one such country which witnessed the ouster of the regime of Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
Two months before this incident, Israel’s special forces conducted a big and significant surgical strike as its military on Thursday, January 2 shared the details of their targeting an underground missile production facility in Syria on September 8. The facility was near Masyaf, close to the Mediterranean coast.
According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), advanced assembly lines designed to manufacture precision-guided missiles and long-range rockets were kept for use against Israel by Lebanon-based militia Hezbollah.
The mission was named “Operation Many Ways” by the IDF. Israel had been monitoring the plant, built into a mountainside, since its construction began in 2017, said Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani in a press briefing.
The video footage of the military operation conducted by Israeli forces was released by the military. The video showed soldiers boarding and disembarking from helicopters, navigating through a concrete-lined tunnel, and inspecting documents at the location.
The facility, shaped like a horseshoe, featured three key entrances. One entrance, located on the mountain’s side, was used for receiving raw materials, while a nearby exit was designated for completed missiles. A third entrance facilitated logistics and provided access to offices, which were connected to the manufacturing area.
Inside, the horseshoe-shaped layout housed at least 16 rooms forming the missile production line. These included planetary mixers for rocket fuel, missile body construction areas, and paint rooms.
The facility was not fully operational when Israel targeted it. Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated it was close to producing precision-guided missiles with a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), according to Reuters.
Testing had already resulted in the successful production of at least two missiles. Rocket engines were reportedly being mass-produced at the site.
On September 8, 120 Israeli commandos comprising 100 Shaldag members and 20 Unit 669 members boarded four CH-53 “Yasur” helicopters from an Israeli airbase to Syria.
Two attack helicopters, 21 fighter jets, five drones, and 14 spy planes joined the CH-53 Yasur helicopters while 30 aircraft were on standby in Israel.
The helicopters flew low over the Mediterranean to avoid Syrian radars before entering Syrian airspace. The first landed near the target, deploying commandos. Two others landed nearby, while the fourth waited before deploying additional troops. The helicopters then moved to safe positions, waiting for two hours for the 100 commandos to execute the mission successfully.
While the Operation Many Ways was going on, Israeli jets and drones, along with Navy missile boats, launched numerous strikes to distract Syrian forces and mask the helicopters’ approach. Some strikes blocked roads while others targeted Syrian reinforcements heading to the site.
The commandos left the facility after planting explosives, which were detonated remotely. The blast measured one ton of explosives and caused a “mini earthquake,” causing the ground to tremble, as described by the soldiers.
It took only three hours for the Operation Many Ways to be executed and the Israeli commandos left by the same helicopters.
(With agencies’ inputs)
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