Sunday, April 27, 2008

A curious case of nuclear intrigue

From the Economist:
WHAT did Israel bomb in Syria last year? What did the Israelis know, and how did they know it? And why did American administration officials present Israel’s intelligence to members of Congress in a closed-door briefing on Thursday April 24th? As many questions swirl around the politics of the moment as around the facts of the Israeli attack.
About all that is certain is that on September 6th Israeli jets destroyed a target near the town of Deir ez-Zor in Syria. The Syrians protested, but initially said that the bombs had fallen on farmland or on unimportant military buildings. Israel and America, at first, maintained a smug silence but it gradually emerged that the Israelis believed they had destroyed a partially built nuclear reactor and, moreover, one that North Korea was helping to construct. The Syrians have since acted guiltily, building over the site and preventing international inspectors from visiting. (
full story)

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