A Sunday strike in Syria which left at least 18 people dead and dozens injured may have targeted a center for the development of missiles and unconventional weapons, The New York Times reported.
According to SANA, multiple sites were struck in and near Masyaf, and that roads, water, electricity, and telephone infrastructure sustained damage.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the strikes, adding that they targeted an area where a "scientific research institute" was located. Quoting sources in Syria's security forces, the Observatory noted that the "research institute" was used for work on "developing short- and medium-range precision missiles" is conducted.
The New York Times reported that independent experts, as well as Israel and US officials, confirmed that the site was a "center of weapons research and development, aided by Syria’s ally Iran."
The report added that activities at the site included "chemical, biological and potentially nuclear weapons as well as missiles used by Hezbollah."
Iran maintains a number of proxies in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, but Syria is considered a key partner of the Iranian regime.
According to the Times, the Sunday strikes in Syria struck an area containing a campus of Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Center. The Center has multiple campuses across Syria, but the Masyaf campus is where the country's military research organization maintains one of its most crucial facilities for weapons development, according to experts.
In 2005, the US prohibited its citizens and residents from engaging in business dealings with the Scientific Studies and Research Center. In 2007, the US Treasury Department froze assets belonging to the Center's subsidiaries, stating that it is a "Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing nonconventional weapons and the missiles to deliver them."
In an August 2023 report, Israeli security experts from the nonprofit Alma Research and Education Center said that the Scientific Studies and Research Center serves as a "growth engine for the development and production of modern conventional weapons based on Iranian technology on Syrian soil."
According to the report, the Center "shortens and saves the logistics of transferring weapons from Iran, which is more vulnerable to harm/disruption and obstruction."