‘Iran Building Missile Factory In Syria’

Syria’s Baniyas on the Mediterranean sea between Latakia and Tartus is the site of a large oil refinery. Before the civil war broke out in 2011 travel guides suggested tourists visit the Crusader fortress of Qalaat Marqab nearby. Today visitors can add to that list a mysterious military construction project stretching several kilometers along Wadi Jahannam, which is 8 km. from Baniyas.

A report on Channel 2 on August 15 provided images of the site from an Israeli satellite. The report said this is likely a factory to build long-range missiles. The area the factory is constructed in near the border of the Tartus and Latakia governorates is one that is closely linked to other military facilities of the Syrian regime and its allies. These include a Russian naval base at Tartus and Khmeimim air force base to the north, which is also allegedly used by Russia and the Iranians.

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Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also sees this as a significant development. “It increasingly appears as if Iran is gearing up for a significant battle against Israel.”

The building of missile production factories and underground facilities in Lebanon and Syria is part of a larger Iranian goal of extending its “land bridge” from Iran to Lebanon via Iraq and Syria, he said.

“So we are seeing the execution of a long term strategy and this is one that puts Israel in a bind because Israel is fearful of provoking a war in Lebanon or entering the fray in Syria and is reticent to engage Iran directly.” That means Israel must weigh its next moves carefully, Schanzer said.

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