IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi addressed the soldiers of the Shaldag Unit ahead of their daring operation in September in which they raided and destroyed an underground compound for manufacturing precision missiles in the Masyaf area, deep in Syrian territory.

“On the one hand, we are sending in a large force to a distant area. On the other hand, I feel that I have been observing this operation unfold over the past few months in various stages, from the initial concept to testing that it was operationally possible. I think the level of preparedness here is exceptionally high," Halevi told the soldiers.

"When taking a risk, two conditions must be met. The first, as I just mentioned, is necessity, and I’ll elaborate on why this is necessary. This site is about to start producing a very large quantity of missiles each year, which would pose a significant threat to Israel’s security. These missiles would be sent to different places and land in various hands, and we have no intention of allowing that to happen," he added.

He continued, "The second condition is a high likelihood of success. I can tell you that if we didn’t feel confident—by the way, this confidence comes mainly from you, from the commanders, from the approvals of plans we have conducted at various stages. I trust you deeply. If you say, ‘We feel secure, trust us, we know how to execute this,’ then I pay attention, draw a bit from my experience, and ask some questions. But mainly, if you feel secure, that’s a very important criterion. And now we have both conditions."

"Good luck. Operate with your heads first, and then with your feet, and we’ll discuss this in more detail in the next forum,” the Chief of Staff concluded.