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The Israeli Raid on Syria that Exposed the Weakness of Hardened Targets

(Mosaic) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - On Sep. 8, 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) executed a deep-penetration commando raid into Syria targeting an underground missile-production facility near Masyaf. The site had been constructed by Iran to supply precision-guided missiles to Hizbullah and other Iranian proxies - posing a strategic threat Israel could not ignore. Buried more than 400 feet underground, it was close to reaching the capacity to produce missiles with ranges capable of striking major Israeli cities and military installations. Traditional airstrikes alone are insufficient to neutralize this kind of fortified and subterranean facility, designed to counter the well-developed air superiority of Israel and other Western-allied forces. The raid redefined the limits of special operations in the region, and signaled a new era in how states counter adversaries operating from hardened spaces on enemy territory. With this mission, Israel changed its playbook, shifting from a largely reactive posture - focused on retaliatory airstrikes and the maintenance of deterrence by aggressive responses to attacks - to a proactive doctrine of deep penetration, operational surprise, and joint-force synchronization, aimed at denying the enemy the ability to attack in the first place. The raid was executed by 120 commandos from the Israeli air force's elite Shaldag unit. To suppress air defenses and divert attention from the infiltration corridor, simultaneous Israeli airstrikes were launched against Syrian military sites. These initial strikes also targeted and reportedly eliminated many of the 30 Syrian guards and soldiers stationed at the missile complex. The entire assault concluded without a single Israeli casualty. This remarkable feat reflects both the tactical prowess of the units involved and the deliberate preparation - underpinned by highly accurate intelligence, mock-site rehearsals, and precision timing - that made the operation possible. The raid on Masyaf was a demonstration of capability with profound strategic implications. In its wake, Iran and its network of proxies and allies will be forced to reassess the survivability of even their most hardened infrastructure. Israel has shown it can penetrate not just underground facilities, but the illusions of impunity that those facilities have offered to its enemies. The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
2025-05-29 00:00:00
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