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A comparison of Syrian and North Korea nuclear facilities, from the U.S. collection. (Yossi Melman)
Last update - 13:23 25/04/2008
Israel: Syria may rethink retaliation in light of nuclear revelations
By Amos Harel, Barak Ravid and Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, U.S., Syria 

The closed-door hearings of the House Intelligence Committee regarding a site in Syria that the Israel Air Forces bombed last September were closely followed Thursday by senior officials in Israel.

U.S. officials said that the Israeli strike destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor built with North Korean design help.

Senior Israeli defense sources said Thursday night that it was still early to gauge how Damascus would react to the news, but warned that the Syrians may now reconsider and decide to retaliate against Israel in some way.
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In recent internal discussions, senior Israeli defense establishment officials expressed concern that the official American release of details about the strike would embarrass Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and lead him to take a more aggressive stance toward Israel.

Intelligence officials said that the reports on the nature of the site make Assad vulnerable, internationally and domestically. Most senior members of his regime in Damascus apparently were not aware that the country had a nuclear program, they explained.

Defense sources said Thursday night that there was still risk of an escalation in the area and warned that Israel must be cautious and avoid embarrassing Assad unnecessarily.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government decided to maintain its silence over the September 6, 2007 strike.

However, the hearings may have raised a new problem in Israel: Members of Congress were shown a video recorded by an agent inside the Syrian nuclear plant prior to the attack.

This revelation may lead the Syrians to the source of the leak that allowed Israel and the U.S. to gather intelligence on the nuclear site.

In Washington, a senior U.S. official said the facility in Syria was destroyed soon before it would have become functional, at which point testing would have begun. At the time of the attack, no uranium was evident at the site.

The reactor site was veiled in secrecy until this week. U.S. intelligence and government officials had refused to confirm suspicions that the site was to be a nuclear reactor.

The administration has thus far refused to reveal why it chose to release the information now, but the briefings come at a critical time in the diplomatic effort to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.

As part of that process, North Korea is required to submit a "declaration" detailing its programs and proliferation activity, but the talks have stalled over Pyongyang's refusal to publicly admit the Syria connection. However, officials say the North Koreans are willing to accept international "concern" about unspecified proliferation.

Syria had not declared the alleged reactor to the International Atomic Energy Agency, nor was it under international safeguards, possibly putting Syria in breach of an international nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

House Foreign Affairs Middle East Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gary Ackerman (Democrat-N.Y.) sharply criticized the administration for embargoing the information and the press leaks surrounding it.

"This is the selective control of information that led us to war in Iraq," he said.

U.S. officials were also briefing members of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, at its Vienna headquarters.

In recent weeks, a debate has raged in Israel over which details of the attack should be revealed. In deliberations, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert argued that it is necessary to agree to the American request to reveal details pertaining to the nuclear ties between Syria and North Korea, but said the countries should decide jointly on what should be made public.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak opposed the release of any new details on the attack or the nuclear ties between Damascus and Pyongyang, arguing that this would only push the Syrians into a corner and would escalate tensions.

Related articles:
  • News / Top U.S. official: Syria site threatened to spread nuke arms technology
  • U.S. experts: Suspected Syrian nuclear site far from operational
  • Editorial: Don't be afraid of peace with Syria
  • U.S. to ask N. Korea: Where is the missing plutonium?
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      1.   with other words 04:01  |  wh 25/04/08
      2.   the lies from the spin doctors in israel at it again 04:16  |  VIPER 25/04/08
      3.   Israeli and US credibility not higher than Syrian. 04:51  |  Arnold 25/04/08
      4.   syria spokenman on al jazeera simply said it wasn`t true 05:01  |  and its not 25/04/08
      5.   The usual orientalist insults 05:27  |  Rowan 25/04/08
      6.   Give these men a shoveL 05:30  |  Mark Lincoln 25/04/08
      7.   Harel and Rosner 05:35  |  Mark Lincoln 25/04/08
      8.   Syria might deploy latest iranian weapons on the israeli border 05:42  |  Aounist 25/04/08
      9.   Katyusha 06:13  |  tam 25/04/08
      10.   Current Date 06:33  |  Mark Lincoln 25/04/08
      11.   Dhimmi Amos Harel says quote 06:36  |  Joseph . E 25/04/08
      12.   Mark Lincoln 06:45  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/04/08
      13.   #8, Aounist 06:55  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/04/08
      14.   War or peace with Syria? Buridan`s ass replayed 07:01  |  Natallie Durson 25/04/08
      15.   itching for war again 07:01  |  rm 25/04/08
      16.   We need to be nice to Assad 07:05  |  Yanosh 25/04/08
      17.   Gosh! Reading this article...... 07:11  |  Johnboy 25/04/08
      18.   Time`s up 07:15  |  Viwerer 25/04/08
      19.   North Korea will retaliate 07:18  |  Pipo 25/04/08
      20.   Why is Israel sitting on the fence? 07:54  |  lebanese 25/04/08
      21.   lies? 08:04  |  doof 25/04/08
      22.   anybody here supporting syria and assad.... 08:14  |  Mikey 25/04/08
      23.   I can`t believe all these people who support Syria and Iran 08:19  |  Mikey 25/04/08
      24.   We should not forget : Syria a vassal of Iran. 08:34  |  Jean Van Daem 25/04/08
      25.   Lying liars and the lies they tell 08:52  |  Jeff 25/04/08
      26.   Mark Lincoln, Viper, and others 09:43  |  S 25/04/08
      27.   be generous 10:04  |  Moshe 25/04/08
      28.   Horrific thought for Zionists 10:13  |  Clickfool 25/04/08
      29.   #26, S 10:50  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/04/08
      30.   viper if israel did not attack a nuclear site then 10:57  |  harzion 25/04/08
      31.   tosefta "give syria the golan" 11:05  |  harzion 25/04/08
      32.   tosefta and the golan 11:09  |  harzion 25/04/08
      33.   tosefta syria and the golan 11:12  |  harzion 25/04/08
      34.   #17, NOT "anyone, anywhere, anytime, for any reason" 11:24  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/04/08
      35.   Syria 11:29  |  Barrie 25/04/08
      36.   #14, Durson on Syria`s plans 11:31  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/04/08
      37.   #29-31, harzion 11:41  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/04/08
      38.   #30 No kidding, harzion! 11:49  |  Johnboy 25/04/08
      39.   Not a chance. Even if Israel attacks Damascus 12:02  |  El-Birawi 25/04/08
      40.   #17 Johnboy 12:04  |  Gideon 25/04/08
      41.   tosefta the golan would be demilitarised 12:21  |  harzion 25/04/08
      42.   tosefta retreats from the golan 12:25  |  harzion 25/04/08
      43.   i wonder who the genious was... 12:59  |  eric 25/04/08
      44.   Great News 13:04  |  Barak Obamawitz 25/04/08
      45.   Cipora Julianna Kohn, various replies 13:30  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/04/08
      46.   Desperation of Israeli supporters 13:42  |  Stephen of New York 25/04/08
      47.   # 5 Rowan 14:01  |  17 25/04/08
      48.   How Embarrassing! 14:06  |  Jeff Northridge 25/04/08
      49.   i still think syria is teetering on the edge... 14:11  |  eric 25/04/08
      50.   For Harzion # 30 14:21  |  Clickfool 25/04/08
      51.   #8 Aounist; You sound and write like a true Aounis traitor 14:26  |  Haham Me Bta Yam 25/04/08
      52.   And now let`s make peace 14:29  |  Someone 25/04/08
      53.   TO NO 8 AYOUNIST. 14:39  |  DANNY. 25/04/08
      54.   TO NO 12 CIPORA 14:41  |  DANNY 25/04/08
      55.   World opinion ! and Syria 14:50  |  AlbertoGA 25/04/08
      56.   TO 41 14:55  |  DANNY. 25/04/08
      57.   TO 42. 14:58  |  DANNY. 25/04/08
      58.   Johnboy # 38 First Comes The Peace Agreement, Then The Withdrawal 15:12  |  Jeff Northridge 25/04/08
      59.   little book open 15:28  |  roger wallace 25/04/08
      60.   Yankees are using and abusing the son`s of Judah!!! 15:31  |  Moise 25/04/08
      61.   # 8 Aounist...it would be preferable if they did not 15:42  |  Lynn 25/04/08
      62.   # 39 El Birawi.....and Syria in Lebanon 15:45  |  Lynn 25/04/08
      63.   tosefta guy bachor on ynet makes two similar points 15:45  |  harzion 25/04/08
      64.   To Israel Haters 15:58  |  Oleg 25/04/08
      65.   what a fuss 16:01  |  christoph 25/04/08
      66.   What is it about Presidents with degree in nuclear engineering? 16:16  |  17 25/04/08
      67.   Just as slick as the stuff shown the UN 16:21  |  Mark Lincoln 25/04/08
      68.   How Olmert will apologize for not informing the IAEA 16:31  |  Tosefta 25/04/08
      69.   Cipora the war-lover 16:32  |  raul gilberto 25/04/08
      70.   Assad isnt stupid enough to start a fight right now 16:39  |  zionist forever