Gantz: Iran Has Turned Syrian Military Bases into Missile Manufacturing Factories

Israel’s Defense Minister, who is visiting the United States, said on Monday, September 21, in a speech that Iran has “turned Syrian military bases into missile manufacturing factories”.

Benny Gantz, presenting a map of the facilities of the Syrian Army’s defense industrial complex in the Misyaf region, said Iran is building “terrorist industries” in Syria for its own needs and has at least ten weapons production bases in Syria.

According to him, Iran has recently begun constructing advanced military industries in Yemen and Lebanon as well.

Benny Gantz added: Iran-made precision missiles at Syrian bases are also being provided to Hezbollah.

He also stated that Iran gives more than 500 million dollars annually to Hezbollah.

Israel’s Defense Minister, at the annual conference of the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post in New York, added that this process began during the time of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, in Syria and “must be stopped.”

He continued that if this process continues, “Iran’s advanced industries will exist throughout the region within a decade for weapons production and the spread of terror.”

Iran and Syria have not yet reacted to Gantz’s statements. Syria has maintained silence regarding similar statements by Israeli officials, and Iran has also denied the ability to produce missiles in countries other than Iranian soil.

General Gantz’s remarks were made amid an intensification of airstrikes attributed to Israel in Syria. Some of the recent attacks have targeted Syria’s Center for Strategic Studies in Defense Industries, known as “CERS” in Misyaf, Syria.

Based on Gantz’s latest remarks, Iran has converted “CERS” to the production of medium and long-range missiles and has turned this facility into a factory for producing advanced and strategic weapons.

Reuters news agency, citing “regional diplomatic and intelligence sources,” wrote that Israel-attributed attacks in Syria have intensified recently to cut off or disrupt the airway for delivering Iranian weapons to its allied forces in Syria and Hezbollah.

Fighters that, according to foreign media reports, belonged to the Israeli Air Force, targeted Aleppo Airport multiple times last week. The airport’s operations were suspended for three days to repair the damaged runway.

A heavy Israeli attack three months ago on Damascus International Airport also shut down its operations for three weeks.

Israel had previously sent a message to Bashar Assad that if he continues to host Iranian military forces, his palace will be bombed.

Despite these warnings, Syria and Iran have continued their military cooperation, and there have been no signs of a reduction in Iran’s presence in Syria.

Israel, which views Iranian-Syrian military cooperation as part of the “expansion of terrorism,” is itself an international military power in the manufacture and sale of various heavy and modern weapons, while also receiving advanced American weapons.

During Gantz’s three-week trip to the United States, a contract was signed for the delivery of four advanced aerial refueling fighters to Israel. Israeli media described these refueling aircraft as completing their country’s military capabilities for a potential attack on Iran.

Source: Radio Farda