Reports: Israel troops raided IRGC weapons facility in Syria, took equipment, documents

Reports: Israel troops raided IRGC weapons facility in Syria, took equipment, documents

TOI STAFF

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.

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, based in Turkey, 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.

The outlet additionally said that a Russian communications center was among the sites targeted as part of the operation.

Sources told the outlet that Syrian air defenses had been weakened by recent Israeli attacks, preventing them from foiling the Sunday assault, and that Syria has established a high-level commission of inquiry into the incident.

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.

In a series of posts to X, Koulouriotis said roads surrounding the facility were targeted with airstrikes to stop Syrian troops from reaching the area, before the Israeli helicopters carrying special forces approached, with air support from combat helicopters and drones.

She said Israeli troops entered the compound, removed equipment and documents, and then laid explosives to destroy the facility.

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.”