Reports: Israeli troops raided IRGC weapons facility in Syria, removed equipment and documents before destroying it

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.

A series of 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, today’s reports were the first to claim that there were Israeli troops on the ground during the operation.

The opposition Syria TV network says that Israeli helicopters did not land on Syrian soil, but instead hovered as special forces rappelled down ropes.

The report says there were violent clashes in which a number of Syrians were killed, and two to four Iranians were captured.

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

Channel 12 news cites researcher Eva J. Koulouriotis, who says she was told by a “security source” that it was an IDF operation against an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility for the development of ballistic missiles and drones, and which also provides logistical support to Hezbollah.

Koulouriotis tweets that roads surrounding the facility were targeted with airstrikes to stop Syrian troops reaching the area, before the Israeli helicopters carrying special forces approached the area, with air support from combat helicopters and drones.

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

The US-government owned Al Hurra network reports 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 immediate comment on the strike from Israel, which rarely acknowledges individual operations in Syria.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.