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Pictures taken in September 2003 of a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor. (GeoEye)
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Last update - 10:01 28/10/2007
Pictures suggest construction of Syrian nuclear reactor was underway in 2001
By Haaretz Staff
tags: Syria, Israel, IAF 

Pictures released on Friday by a satellite imagery company suggest that the construction of the suspected Syrian nuclear reactor attacked by the Israel Air Force on September 6 was underway as early as 2001, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The images, released by the U.S.-based company GeoEye, were taken in September 2003. Senior U.S. officials and independent analysts who examined the pictures said that they suggest work had begun on the site as early as two years before the photographs were taken, according to the report.

Numerous foreign media reports have suggested the IAF bombed a partially-constructed nuclear reactor on the bank of the Euphrates River in northeast Syria, some 90 kilometers from the Iraq border.
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A senior American intelligence official told the New York Times that the United States had been aware of the site and had kept track of its development, but had not been certain it housed nuclear technology.

However, another New York Times report from roughly two weeks ago quotes senior officials as saying the United States knew the site had nuclear designs, but there was disagreement regarding how to proceed.

"There wasn't a lot of debate about the evidence," a senior U.S. official told the Times. "There was a lot of debate about how to respond to it."

Several reports have speculated that the United States was hesitant to react to Syria's supposed nuclear program because of the war in Iraq, which the United States justified launching by claiming the Middle Eastern state was developing nuclear weapons. No evidence of an Iraqi nuclear program has been found since the 2003 invasion, and the United States may have wanted to avoid getting embroiled in another conflict without surefire intelligence.

Reports have also said that the reactor was built with North Korean assistance, and experts studying photographs released last week by the Washington Post have said the Syrian reactor was based almost exactly on a North Korean design.

John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been accused in the past of exaggerating the Syrian nuclear threat, told the New York Times, regarding a 2003 disagreement on Capitol Hill, that "there was disagreement about what Syria was interested in and how much we should be monitoring it... there was activity in Syria that I felt was evidence that they were trying to develop a nuclear program."


Related articles:
  • Experts: Syria cleared site hit by IAF, apparently to hide evidence
  • Report: IAF strike targeted partly finished nuclear reactor in Syria
  • Report: Israel delayed Syria strike due to U.S. hesitance
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      1.   Intelligence sharing 23:21  |  Gil 27/10/07
      2.   2 Simple Questions 23:55  |  Joe 27/10/07
      3.   Bolton is the best!! Says it as it is. 00:04  |  SLAVO 28/10/07
      4.   HAARETZ CENSOR REFUSED MY COMMENT 2 DAYS AGO ABOUT COLOUR PHOTOS 00:20  |  Mitch Iginer 28/10/07
      5.   It was the Saddam that has been invested for Syrian nuclear react 00:46  |  e.m 28/10/07
      6.   Mitch #4 Anti-Israel TBers` babble 00:56  |  Dakkar 28/10/07
      7.   Story getting thin considering what has gone one since 2001 01:03  |  Pablo B 28/10/07
      8.   And why nothing built since then? 01:04  |  Mark Lincoln 28/10/07
      9.   Joe: 2 simple answers 01:10  |  Richard S 28/10/07
      10.   IAF had No right to bomb it 01:32  |  Omran 28/10/07
      11.   PABLO 02:23  |  JOJO 28/10/07
      12.   MARK LINCOLN 02:25  |  JOJO 28/10/07
      13.   RICHARD 02:29  |  JOJO 28/10/07
      14.   Available on Google Earth 02:37  |  Marc 28/10/07
      15.   Richard S: not simple answers 03:20  |  Joe 28/10/07
      16.   Was any radiation released? 03:24  |  Motke Chabad 28/10/07
      17.   The fact is that 04:00  |  Mark Lincoln 28/10/07
      18.   When in 81 the Israel destroyed Iraqi reactors was any radiation 04:28  |  e.m 28/10/07
      19.   To 16 04:54  |  Realist. 28/10/07
      20.   re: Mark Lincoln 05:00  |  Efox 28/10/07
      21.   Two more Answers for Joe 05:03  |  Efox 28/10/07
      22.   #11, JOJO to PABLO.... 05:29  |  Silvienne 28/10/07
      23.   the reactor was graphite gas cooled reactor 05:33  |  teflon moslem 28/10/07
      24.   #14 And here is the North Korean reactor Marc 05:45  |  Johnboy 28/10/07
      25.   Efox the korean bomb did work it was small 05:46  |  teflon moslem 28/10/07
      26.   The New York Times! 06:06  |  Paulo 28/10/07
      27.   If such activity took place in Syria, try to think of the 06:18  |  Roni 28/10/07
      28.   #7 Pablo B get your nose fixed 06:25  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      29.   #8 Lincoln - Reactor 06:28  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      30.   #10 Omran 06:30  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      31.   #15 Joe - You`re not President of Syria 06:32  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      32.   #17 Lincoln - I`ll say it again 06:34  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      33.   Johnboy 06:38  |  Ibn Musa 28/10/07
      34.   What is hidden in the US bases in Israel? 08:02  |  Maureen Ann 28/10/07
      35.   re: teflon moslem 09:12  |  Efox 28/10/07
      36.   Mark Lincoln + Tosefta: all numbers - Part I 09:22  |  S 28/10/07
      37.   Mark Lincoln + Tosefta Part II 09:37  |  S 28/10/07
      38.   Why radioactive release? 10:12  |  Daniel 28/10/07
      39.   S 10:20  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/10/07
      40.   #28 Golly day, Ben Jabo 10:42  |  ballistic 28/10/07
      41.   For Slavo #3 : John Bolton is a nutter 10:42  |  Clickfool 28/10/07
      42.   #17 Mark L--good well reasoned post! 10:45  |  ballistic 28/10/07
      43.   #32 Say Ben Jabo 10:47  |  ballistic 28/10/07
      44.   #8 To Mark Lincoln and other doubters 12:28  |  Yonatan 28/10/07
      45.   #26 Paulo - You`re right! 12:40  |  Yonatan 28/10/07
      46.   #34 Maureen Ann has nothing useful or constructive 12:43  |  Yonatan 28/10/07
      47.   #34 Maureen Ann - disclose your sources sources 16:10  |  Shlomo 28/10/07
      48.   #7 Pablo - why Korea took the risk 16:35  |  Shlomo 28/10/07
      49.   efox the iranian are going with big H 17:19  |  teflon moslem 28/10/07
      50.   Syrian reactor 18:38  |  Jack Garbuz 28/10/07
      51.   To Joe 18:45  |  Jack Garbuz 28/10/07
      52.   Nuclear weapons, and who may have them. 18:49  |  Jack Garbuz 28/10/07
      53.   #40 Ballistic - Taht`s what I admire about you 20:42  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      54.   #43 Ballistic 20:45  |  * BEN JABO 28/10/07
      55.   #40 Ballistic - the fibber about everything 01:29  |  * BEN JABO 29/10/07
      56.   #46, Yonatan needs glasses, re: Maureen Ann 03:09  |  Silvienne 29/10/07
      57.   Maureen Ann 05:36  |  * BEN JABO 29/10/07
      58.   No, Mark Lincoln 15:32  |  Michael N 29/10/07
      59.   What about the debris? 15:42  |  Michael N 29/10/07
      60.   Why I never doubted North Korea`s intent 18:02  |  Mark Lincoln 29/10/07
      61.   Producing Intelligence requires intelligence 18:16  |  Mark Lincoln 29/10/07
      62.   Law or might? 21:30  |  John Sayes 29/10/07
      63.   #62 John Sayes 00:30  |  * BEN JABO 30/10/07
      64.   #61 Lincoln 00:32  |  * BEN JABO 30/10/07
      65.   #61 Lincoln 00:34  |  * BEN JABO 30/10/07
      66.   #63 I notice you didn`t actually answer John, BEN 15:22  |  Johnboy 30/10/07
      67.   #53, Ben Jabo to ballistic, a question? 18:35  |  Silvienne 30/10/07
      68.   #62, John Sayes... 23:36  |  Silvienne 30/10/07
      69.   #67 Silvienne - Yaad Vashem 03:48  |  * BEN JABO 31/10/07
      70.   #68 Silvienne - You have rose colored glasses 03:52  |  * BEN JABO 31/10/07
      71.   #69, Ben Jabo... 16:49  |  Silvienne 31/10/07
      72.   #70, Ben Jabo....please listen to this... 16:56  |  Silvienne 31/10/07
      73.   #71 Silvienne 17:08  |  * BEN JABO 31/10/07
      74.   #72 Silvienne 17:34  |  * BEN JABO 31/10/07
      75.   Bombed Syrian Structure 20:20  |  Hunter 31/10/07
      76.   #73, Ben Jabo... 05:32  |  Silvienne 01/11/07
      77.   #74, Ben Jabo... 05:40  |  Silvienne 01/11/07
      78.   #76 Silvienne - It`s more than a "Friend" 18:23  |  * BEN JABO 01/11/07
      79.   #78, Ben Jabo... 03:24  |  Silvienne 02/11/07
      80.   #79 Silvienne 18:48  |  * BEN JABO 02/11/07