Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz presents map of Syrian military sites used for the production of advanced missiles for Iran. Credit: Israel MOD

Iran has turned scientific facilities in Syria into bases for the production of advanced missiles and weapons for its proxy forces across the Middle East, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday.

Speaking at The Jerusalem Post annual conference in New York, Gantz disclosed a map showing over 10 different bases including an underground facility in the city of Masyaf in Syria’s northwestern region.

“Under the vision of Qassem Soleimani, Iran transformed CERS into production facilities for mid and long-range, precise missiles and weapons, provided to Hezbollah and Iranian proxies,” Gantz said at the conference. “In other words, it became yet another Iranian front – a factory for advanced, strategic weapons.”

Gantz said the sites “host significant threats to the region and to the State of Israel,” where “advanced missiles” are produced.

During his presentation, Gantz emphasized that Iran distributes weapons, including long-range missiles, cruise missiles and UAVs to its proxies in the region. Specifically, Iran distributes “hundreds” of weapons to its proxies in Syria, “tens of hundreds” of weapons to the Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon as well as to its proxies in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen.

“In addition to CERS, the Iranians are currently working to build missile and weapon industries in Lebanon and Yemen,” Gantz said. “If this trend will not be stopped, within a decade, there will be advanced Iranian industries across the region, producing weapons and spreading terror.”

Annual Iranian proxy funding includes over $1 billion to Palestinians, of which over $100 million is streamed to the Hamas terror group and Islamic Jihad, according to Gantz’s presentation. Over $500 million is funneled to Iranian terror proxies in Lebanon, tens of millions of dollars goes to pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, and hundreds of millions of dollars is received by proxies in Yemen.

During his speech, Gantz presented two distinct scenarios for the Middle East region by 2032. A scenario in which Iran spreads terror and radicalism, which is only further exacerbated should Iran attain a nuclear umbrella. The alternative to that scenario would require “significant action,” by the international community to help shape a Middle East built on the achievements of the Abraham Accords that expands regional cooperation, Gantz said.

The US-brokered Abraham Accords are a joint agreement to normalize relations between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates signed in September 2020, with Sudan and Morocco later included.

Gantz also commented on Iran’s nuclear program: “Our intelligence confirms international reports about Iran’s steady progress – including both its production capabilities and rate of enrichment.”