Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) special forces raided an Iranian weapons facility in Syria shortly before a series of strikes in the region, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens of others, according to reports.

Initial reports did not indicate that any Israeli troops had been on the ground during the operation, but The Times of Israel cited opposition Syrian TV revealing that Israeli helicopters hovered over the ground while special forces descended by rope.

The IDF special forces clashed with forces on the ground, killing a number of Syrians and capturing up to four Iranians. The U.S.-owned Arabic-language Al Hurra network noted that the intensity of the raids and the death toll were “unusual.”

The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the attack as “blatant aggression,” saying nearby residential areas had “material damage.” 

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Syria claimed that the strike hit a scientific research center, but the opposition reported that the facilities belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dedicated to developing ballistic missiles and drones.

The nature of the facility remains in contention, however. Western officials have long asserted the facility serves as a weapons manufacturing plant that produces chemical weapons like sarin gas. Syrian authorities have denied these allegations and maintain the facility is purely a scientific research center. 

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the attack happened at around 11:20 p.m. local time but added few details about the facilities. But regional intelligence sources said a major military research center for chemical weapons near Masyaf had been hit several times, Reuters reported. 

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A senior regional military source close to Iran and Syria denied the accounts, maintaining the facility was purely for research purposes.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Tehran strongly condemned the “criminal attack” in Syria.

“We do not confirm what was reported by media outlets linked to the Zionist regime (Israel) about an attack on an Iranian center or a center under Iran’s protection,” he said during a news conference in response to a question about the attack.

Researcher Eva J. Koulouriotis claimed on social media platform X that the IDF first hit roads leading to the facility, and special forces entered the facility and extracted equipment and documents before destroying it and withdrawing. 

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Koulouriotis added that the facility had provided logistical support for Hezbollah and its activities in Lebanon, which marks the raid as a significant counterstrike against the terrorist group, which has attacked Israel since Oct. 7. 

Israel and Hezbollah have maintained a slow but deliberate exchange of attacks over the intervening months. The IDF in late August launched heavy airstrikes on Hezbollah positions across Lebanon as a preemptive strike, claiming Hezbollah had prepared to attack Israeli territory. 

Israel also holds Hezbollah responsible for a missile strike in July that killed a dozen children and teens. It responded with a strike that hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. 

Reuters contributed to this report.