An underground missile factory in Syria was destroyed by Israel in a daring raid, which was funded by Iran.

In September, the IDF reported that elite Israeli forces carried out a daring raid in Syria, destroying a clandestine underground factory capable of producing long-range missiles and containing sensitive information about Syria's chemical weapons program.

The IDF first revealed the mission Thursday in a call with reporters.

"This is one of our most significant and complex special operations in recent years, even in this complex year and a half," said IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani.

The Israeli commandos' daring mission was captured on camera by the IDF, along with the destruction of the underground facility after it was cleared.

An underground facility for precision-guided missiles was excavated into the side of a mountain, according to the IDF spokesperson.

Information about Syria’s chemical weapons program was uncovered during the mission.

"Shoshani stated that she had observed notebooks and documents, many of which contained specific chemicals. One such document was a chemical handbook that detailed the process of manufacturing a missile at the end of a raid. The facility, including the machines and manufacturing, was dismantled by the troops to ensure the safety of Israel."

During the 14-year civil war in Syria, Assad's government frequently employed chemical weapons against its own people. Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, played a crucial role in supporting Assad's regime during the conflict.

The factory was constructed to produce between 150-350 missiles annually, including PGM, as per the IDF. Members of the IDF's elite air force unit Shaldag took part in the mission. According to the IDF, 30 Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation.

The IDF spokesperson informed reporters that the operation targeted an Iranian-funded factory in Syrian territory near the Lebanon border, which produced hundreds of strategic missiles annually for Hezbollah to use against Israel and its allies in Syria.

"Due to the unique terrain and the facility's underground location, we were unable to operate from the airfield. On September 8, 2024, special forces carried out a nighttime targeted raid on the facility. The raid involved over 100 soldiers and included various types of aircraft, including helicopters. The forces were transported to the location by helicopters."

""Our heroic fighters carried out a daring and successful operation in Syria, which was a crucial preventive measure against Iran's efforts to arm itself and attack us. This operation demonstrates our bravery and commitment to defend ourselves anywhere," said Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement."

Since the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of over 1,200 people, including 40 Americans, Israel has been under attack from various sources, including Iran's regime, which supports Hamas; Hezbollah; the Houthis; and the toppled Bashar Assad regime in Syria.

According to Amit Segal, the chief political analyst of Israel's Channel 12, the Israeli perspective for years was that Iran operates like an octopus in the Middle East, with the nuclear program in Tehran being the head and the conventional terrorist organizations surrounding Israel being the arms. Netanyahu believed that the arms were intended to harass and occupy Israel while the head raced toward nuclear capability, and therefore it was better to contain them and focus on the main threat.

"On Oct. 7, the perception that the arms were merely an annoyance was shattered when it was realized they posed an existential threat."

The Syrian factory raid could serve as a warning to Iran's nuclear weapons facilities in the mountains.

In 2025, Israel faces a historic crossroads for confronting the nuclear threat, as Netanyahu has long sought and for which history will judge him, after a year and a quarter of dedicated effort to sever the octopus's arms.

The construction of the Syrian missile factory began in 2017 and ended in 2021 when manufacturing machinery was sent from Iran to the site. The majority of the components in the factory were sourced from Iran.

Over 17,000 projectiles were launched by Hezbollah toward Israel from October 2023 to November 2024, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Israelis, according to the IDF spokesperson.