Report: Israeli special forces raid Syrian chemical-weapons site

JERUSALEM – Unconfirmed reports surfaced Thursday about a daring raid carried out by Israeli special forces in Syria in the same Masyaf area that IAF fighter jets struck overnight Sunday, with the aerial bombardment allegedly acting as cover for the main operation.

The strikes, which targeted what was euphemistically referred to as a “scientific research center,” was in fact an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) weapons development site, long associated with the manufacture of chemical weapons and precision missiles by the Syrian regime and Iranian forces. Some fourteen people were killed in the attack and nearly four dozen wounded according to local Syrian media.

However, Thursday’s report, which emanates from a Greek political analyst specializing in the Middle East, Eva J. Koulouriotis, suggests a far more expansive operation than initially realized.

Citing an unnamed security source, Koulouriotis reported the mission was an IDF operation against an IRGC facility for the development of ballistic missiles and drones, and which also provides logistical support to Hezbollah.

#EXCLUSIVE #Israel #Syria #Iran #IRGC #Hezbollah
Last Thursday night, around 11:00, residents of western and central Syria heard the sounds of a large number of huge explosions in the direction of the Masyaf area near the Syrian-Lebanese border. These explosions were not the… pic.twitter.com/sWuks7K0PI

— Eva J. Koulouriotis | إيفا كولوريوتي (@evacool_) September 11, 2024

Under the cover of darkness and with the air-to-surface missiles blasting the area around the facility to prevent Assad regime soldiers access, opposition Syria TV network claimed Israeli military helicopters did not land on enemy soil, rather hovering above it to allow special forces troops to rappel down to the ground. Combat helicopters and drones were also in close attendance to the military choppers.

Koulouriotis reported the whole operation lasted approximately an hour, during which time Israel’s forces kinetically engaged the enemy in which a number of Syrian troops were killed, and two to four Iranians were captured. Israel’s Channel 12 also reported a Russian communications center was among the sites targeted as part of the operation, according to the Times of Israel.

After successfully breaching the building’s security, Israeli troops removed equipment and documents. They also mined the facility from the inside, largely destroying it, and were then able to evacuate under air cover.

The operation lasted for about an hour, during which the Israeli special forces were able to enter the facility, withdraw important equipment and documents, mine the facility from the inside, then destroy it and withdraw under air cover through fire belts surrounding the site, to…

— Eva J. Koulouriotis | إيفا كولوريوتي (@evacool_) September 11, 2024

The Alma Research and Education Center – an Israel-based organization with the mission of making in-depth geopolitical knowledge about the Middle East accessible to English speakers has a lengthy report about the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), or in its French name: the Centre D’Etudes et de Recherches Scientifiques (CERS) on its website.

The CERS employs some 20,000 people at various sites across Syria; and the majority of the center’s personnel are Syrian nationals. While some research is grounded in civilian use, much of what goes on there is set aside for military purposes, including “the development and production of modern conventional weapons based on Iranian technology on Syrian soil.”

Iran’s elite Qods force – whose one-time leader Qassem Soleimani was eliminated in a President Trump-ordered strike in January 2020 – as well as Hezbollah’s elite Unit 9000, are in charge of security – showing how much has been invested in the Iran-Hezbollah-Syria axis.

Critically, the center is also home to chemical weapon research. Israel’s attack on the facility was likely borne out of a very real fear the seemingly inexorable march to a regional conflict – starting with Hezbollah – might involve the use of chemical weapons.