# Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’



## syscom3 (Sep 16, 2007)

From The Sunday Times
September 16, 2007
Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’
Secret raid on Korean shipment

Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’ - Times Online

IT was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way.

At a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando team was waiting to direct their laser beams at the target for the approaching jets. The team had arrived a day earlier, taking up position near a large underground depot. Soon the bunkers were in flames.

Ten days after the jets reached home, their mission was the focus of intense speculation this weekend amid claims that Israel believed it had destroyed a cache of nuclear materials from North Korea.

The Israeli government was not saying. “The security sources and IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] soldiers are demonstrating unusual courage,” said Ehud Olmert, the prime minister. “We naturally cannot always show the public our cards.”
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The Syrians were also keeping mum. “I cannot reveal the details,” said Farouk al-Sharaa, the vice-president. “All I can say is the military and political echelon is looking into a series of responses as we speak. Results are forthcoming.” The official story that the target comprised weapons destined for Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi’ite group, appeared to be crumbling in the face of widespread scepticism.

Andrew Semmel, a senior US State Department official, said Syria might have obtained nuclear equipment from “secret suppliers”, and added that there were a “number of foreign technicians” in the country.

Asked if they could be North Korean, he replied: “There are North Korean people there. There’s no question about that.” He said a network run by AQ Khan, the disgraced creator of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, could be involved.

But why would nuclear material be in Syria? Known to have chemical weapons, was it seeking to bolster its arsenal with something even more deadly?

Alternatively, could it be hiding equipment for North Korea, enabling Kim Jong-il to pretend to be giving up his nuclear programme in exchange for economic aid? Or was the material bound for Iran, as some authorities in America suggest?

According to Israeli sources, preparations for the attack had been going on since late spring, when Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, presented Olmert with evidence that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear device from North Korea.

The Israeli spy chief apparently feared such a device could eventually be installed on North-Korean-made Scud-C missiles.

“This was supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel,” said an Israeli source. “We’ve known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can’t live with a nuclear warhead.”

An expert on the Middle East, who has spoken to Israeli participants in the raid, told yesterday’s Washington Post that the timing of the raid on September 6 appeared to be linked to the arrival three days earlier of a ship carrying North Korean material labelled as cement but suspected of concealing nuclear equipment.

The target was identified as a northern Syrian facility that purported to be an agricultural research centre on the Euphrates river. Israel had been monitoring it for some time, concerned that it was being used to extract uranium from phosphates.

According to an Israeli air force source, the Israeli satellite Ofek 7, launched in June, was diverted from Iran to Syria. It sent out high-quality images of a northeastern area every 90 minutes, making it easy for air force specialists to spot the facility.

Early in the summer Ehud Barak, the defence minister, had given the order to double Israeli forces on its Golan Heights border with Syria in anticipation of possible retaliation by Damascus in the event of air strikes.

Sergei Kirpichenko, the Russian ambassador to Syria, warned President Bashar al-Assad last month that Israel was planning an attack, but suggested the target was the Golan Heights.

Israeli military intelligence sources claim Syrian special forces moved towards the Israeli outpost of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights. Tension rose, but nobody knew why.

At this point, Barak feared events could spiral out of control. The decision was taken to reduce the number of Israeli troops on the Golan Heights and tell Damascus the tension was over. Syria relaxed its guard shortly before the Israeli Defence Forces struck.

Only three Israeli cabinet ministers are said to have been in the know � Olmert, Barak and Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister. America was also consulted. According to Israeli sources, American air force codes were given to the Israeli air force attaché in Washington to ensure Israel’s F15Is would not mistakenly attack their US counterparts.

Once the mission was under way, Israel imposed draconian military censorship and no news of the operation emerged until Syria complained that Israeli aircraft had violated its airspace. Syria claimed its air defences had engaged the planes, forcing them to drop fuel tanks to lighten their loads as they fled.

But intelligence sources suggested it was a highly successful Israeli raid on nuclear material supplied by North Korea.

Washington was rife with speculation last week about the precise nature of the operation. One source said the air strikes were a diversion for a daring Israeli commando raid, in which nuclear materials were intercepted en route to Iran and hauled to Israel. Others claimed they were destroyed in the attack.

There is no doubt, however, that North Korea is accused of nuclear cooperation with Syria, helped by AQ Khan’s network. John Bolton, who was undersecretary for arms control at the State Department, told the United Nations in 2004 the Pakistani nuclear scientist had “several other” customers besides Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Some of his evidence came from the CIA, which had reported to Congress that it viewed “Syrian nuclear intentions with growing concern”.

“I’ve been worried for some time about North Korea and Iran outsourcing their nuclear programmes,” Bolton said last week. Syria, he added, was a member of a “junior axis of evil”, with a well-established ambition to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The links between Syria and North Korea date back to the rule of Kim Il-sung and President Hafez al-Assad in the last century. In recent months, their sons have quietly ordered an increase in military and technical cooperation.

Foreign diplomats who follow North Korean affairs are taking note. There were reports of Syrian passengers on flights from Beijing to Pyongyang and sightings of Middle Eastern businessmen from sources who watch the trains from North Korea to China.

On August 14, Rim Kyong Man, the North Korean foreign trade minister, was in Syria to sign a protocol on “cooperation in trade and science and technology”. No details were released, but it caught Israel’s attention.

Syria possesses between 60 and 120 Scud-C missiles, which it has bought from North Korea over the past 15 years. Diplomats believe North Korean engineers have been working on extending their 300-mile range. It means they can be used in the deserts of northeastern Syria � the area of the Israeli strike.

The triangular relationship between North Korea, Syria and Iran continues to perplex intelligence analysts. Syria served as a conduit for the transport to Iran of an estimated £50m of missile components and technology sent by sea from North Korea. The same route may be in use for nuclear equipment.

But North Korea is at a sensitive stage of negotiations to end its nuclear programme in exchange for security guarantees and aid, leading some diplomats to cast doubt on the likelihood that Kim would cross America’s “red line” forbidding the proliferation of nuclear materials.

Christopher Hill, the State Department official representing America in the talks, said on Friday he could not confirm “intelligence-type things”, but the reports underscored the need “to make sure the North Koreans get out of the nuclear business”.

By its actions, Israel showed it is not interested in waiting for diplomacy to work where nuclear weapons are at stake.

As a bonus, the Israelis proved they could penetrate the Syrian air defence system, which is stronger than the one protecting Iranian nuclear sites.

This weekend President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran sent Ali Akbar Mehrabian, his nephew, to Syria to assess the damage. The new “axis of evil” may have lost one of its spokes.


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## Erich (Sep 16, 2007)

way to go Israel !


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## Konigstiger205 (Sep 16, 2007)

I agree with Erich...go Israel!


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## comiso90 (Sep 16, 2007)

stunning.... has the BBC or CNN reported on this?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 16, 2007)

When did this happen?


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## comiso90 (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm not sure i believe it


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 16, 2007)

Same here, it is not on any of the news channels.


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## evangilder (Sep 16, 2007)

Good! Maybe some of the other folks over there will now understand that Israel isn't messing around.


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## syscom3 (Sep 16, 2007)

It happened last week.

Remember the Syrians complaining about an Israeli flyover of Syrian territory?

They really didnt want to push the issue for obvious reasons.

I also seem to remember a couple of weeks ago, N Korea came clean about its nuke project and wanting better relations with the US..... and this happens. I wonder if they tipped us off what was over there......(Pure conjecture on my part).


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## Gnomey (Sep 16, 2007)

Go Israel! If only the rest of the West had the same attitude we could deal with the "Axis of Evil" so much more effectively.


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## mkloby (Sep 16, 2007)

Gnomey said:


> Go Israel! If only the rest of the West had the same attitude we could deal with the "Axis of Evil" so much more effectively.



That's the truth. There's too many westerners calculating how to best hug these certain hostile nations.


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## The Basket (Sep 17, 2007)

I only heard of the overflights...heard nothing of military action.

The Syrians have some of the latest Chinese and Russian air defence systems but the Isrealis have shown they can attack at will.

Bad news for Syria. I don't expect the Syrians to do much. It is said that Irans air defence is weaker than Syrias so any western attack on Iran should be no prob...if this exmple is to go by.


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## timshatz (Sep 17, 2007)

I dunno. Like to see more info in general. Somehow, this is all just too quiet.


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## comiso90 (Sep 17, 2007)

yeahhh..

cant believe everything you read.


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## Hunter368 (Sep 17, 2007)

evangilder said:


> Good! Maybe some of the other folks over there will now understand that Israel isn't messing around.



I wish USA people would also start thinking that way. Stop all this PC crap and crush Iran via air strikes and cruise missiles. We don't have to send in troops to hurt Iran.................lets just do 3 weeks of air strikes 24 hours a day.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 17, 2007)

timshatz said:


> I dunno. Like to see more info in general. Somehow, this is all just too quiet.



I have to agree with you. Something like this would leak out into the news.


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## timshatz (Sep 17, 2007)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> I have to agree with you. Something like this would leak out into the news.



Exactly. Plus, blowing up irradiated materials would send every sensor in the Middle East off the scale. 

Nah, not buying it. 

Yet.


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## comiso90 (Sep 17, 2007)

North Korean scientists in Syria alone should make news.


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## syscom3 (Sep 17, 2007)

timshatz said:


> Exactly. Plus, blowing up irradiated materials would send every sensor in the Middle East off the scale.
> 
> Nah, not buying it.
> 
> Yet.



Doesnt need to be radioactive. Could be bomb making material.


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## syscom3 (Sep 17, 2007)

World Tribune — U.S. confirms Syria-N. Korea nuke link

Monday, September 17, 2007
U.S. confirms Syria-N. Korea nuke link 

WASHINGTON — The United States has determined that Syria has been seeking nuclear weapons from North Korea.

"We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria," Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Semmel said. "We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen." 
One North Korean-flagged ship, Al Hamad, arrived in the Syrian port of Tartous on Sept. 3. Three days later, the Israel Air Force attacked an unspecified target in northeastern Syria along the Euphrates River near the border with Turkey.

Semmel, responsible for nuclear non-proliferation at the State Department, said Syria has been placed on the U.S. nuclear watch list. In a briefing in Rome, Semmel said Damascus was suspected of contacting a range of nuclear suppliers.
Officials said North Korea has provided nuclear material and guidance to Syria. They said Pyongyang has helped establish underground facilities that could be used to produce weapons-grade uranium for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"There are indicators that they do have something going on there," Semmel, who did not rule out the involvement of the so-called nuclear smuggling network once led by Abdul Qadeer Khan, said on Sept. 13.

Officials said North Korean ships arrived in Syria in mid-2007 with cargo suspected to have included weapons of mass destruction components. They said both Israel and the United States have been tracking these shipments, which in some cases were registered as cement.

[On Sunday, Iran said Russia was ready to ship enriched uranium fuel for the Bushehr nuclear energy reactor. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the nuclear fuel for Bushehr was inspected and sealed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.]

"There are North Korean people there," Semmel said. "There's no question about that. Just as there are a lot of North Koreans in Iraq and Iran."

Israel has not denied an air force operation in Syria. But officials have refused to provide any details.

For its part, Syria has insisted that Israeli fighter-jets did not stage an attack. On Monday, Syrian sources told the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily that the Israeli operation was meant to test Syrian air defense systems.

But Western intelligence sources said the Israeli strike, termed Operation Orchard, consisted of eight aircraft, at least two of them F-15I fighter-jets, four F-16Is and a G-550 electronic intelligence aircraft. They said the operation was coordinated with the United States.

"We are watching very closely," Semmel, who did not confirm U.S. involvement, said. "Obviously, the Israelis were watching very closely."

The State Department confirmed Semmel's remarks, but refused to comment. On Sunday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States was watching North Korea and Syria "very carefully."

"If such an activity were taking place, it would be a matter of great concern because the president has put down a very strong marker with the North Koreans about further proliferation efforts and obviously any effort by the Syrians to pursue weapons of mass destruction would be a concern," Gates said in a television interview. "I think it would be a real problem."

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said Syria has long sought nuclear and other WMD capabilities. Bolton said Syria might have agreed to provide uranium enrichment facilities to Iran and North Korea, both of whom have been under international pressure to end their nuclear weapons programs. On Monday, North Korea delayed talks scheduled for Sept. 19 for an end to the nation's nuclear weapons program.

"Syria is very aggressive in pursuing WMD capability," Bolton told the Israeli daily, Jerusalem Post. "It's a diversion game — to carry on even when you are supposed to have halted, as in the case of North Korea. And I'd be surprised if Syria would do anything with North Korea without Iranian acquiescence."


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## Hop (Sep 17, 2007)

If Israel seriously believed there were nuclear materials in Syria, they would not respond in such a limited way.



> I wish USA people would also start thinking that way. Stop all this PC crap and crush Iran via air strikes and cruise missiles. We don't have to send in troops to hurt Iran.................lets just do 3 weeks of air strikes 24 hours a day.



And in 3 weeks time you would have a very annoyed Iran, people united behind their government, and far more determined to acquire nuclear weapons. 

You would also have oil prices of over $150 a barrel (meaning $5 - $6 a gallon in the US), a huge upsurge in terrorism in Iraq, Iran in bed with China and the worst recession the west has seen since the 1930s. And at best it would set the Iranian nuclear programme back 2 or 3 years.


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## The Basket (Sep 17, 2007)

I think that a limited strike on Iran wouldn't work as Iran would go on the offensive. Best defence is a good offensive.

The Iranian military would have to be destroyed tank by tank and the huge country invaded. Now that would be a scale of warfare not since WW2. To simply say bomb this or bomb that is oversimplification.

To attack Iran would be Total War. Not an air strike.


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## Aggie08 (Sep 17, 2007)

Has Israel _ever_ messed around? They're all business, all the time.

I do remember the flyover story. I don't buy the "oops, we didn't know whose airspace we were in," nor do I buy "we scared them so they dropped their tanks and left." They were there to do something, but I imagine something of this magnitude would have made the news by now. I'd hate to work for an intelligence agency, you have to make pure conjecture on incomplete and often wrong data.


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## mkloby (Sep 18, 2007)

Aggie08 said:


> Has Israel _ever_ messed around? They're all business, all the time.
> 
> I do remember the flyover story. I don't buy the "oops, we didn't know whose airspace we were in," nor do I buy "we scared them so they dropped their tanks and left." They were there to do something, but I imagine something of this magnitude would have made the news by now. I'd hate to work for an intelligence agency, you have to make pure conjecture on incomplete and often wrong data.



You don't accidentally penetrate airspace like that as a professional pilot. Not to mention they likely have charts with them on flights, plus they probably have airspace boundaries pre-loaded in the GPS and back themselves up with navaid radial/DME cuts.


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## timshatz (Sep 18, 2007)

syscom3 said:


> Doesnt need to be radioactive. Could be bomb making material.



That covers a huge amount of ground. Could be anything. I would think if they were getting anything from North Korea, it would be materials that were enriched. 

True, could be bomb casing materials or enhancement stuff.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 18, 2007)

Well if they did actually hit a nuclear site. Good ****ing job Israel! Its about time someone strikes at them.


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## Matt308 (Sep 18, 2007)

...its only a matter of time. Since the hostage crisis things have only been deteriorating. If Clinton gets in office, she'll do it. She'll do it just to show that she pulls her zipper down to piss like any other man. God help us.


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## johnbr (Sep 18, 2007)

I read in a UK paper today that they are saying that there was a air strike.


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## Haztoys (Oct 2, 2007)

maybe they did..

Syria acknowledges Israeli air attack - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com


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## Matt308 (Oct 2, 2007)

Its all over AvWeek. Claims are that it was a weapons cache hidden in the desert and there was a suspected nuclear tie from N.Korea to Iran using Syria as the middleman.

On a side note, Isreal just launched a spysat that supposedly has resolution on par with older U-2 capabilities and the orbit is such that two of them are aimed at Iran.


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## Haztoys (Oct 14, 2007)

So much for all of us who keep saying that "If it was real it would be all over the news"..

Report: Israel targeted Syrian nuke reactor - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com

The news realy contols the world we live in...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 14, 2007)

I say good for them! Lets hit another a bit more to the east!!!


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## T4.H (Oct 15, 2007)

I still have problems to believe the story.

Yes, it could be possible, but I fear it is only (again) a hoax.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IT was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way.

At a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando team was waiting to direct their laser beams at the target for the approaching jets. The team had arrived a day earlier, taking up position near a large underground depot. Soon the bunkers were in flames.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I' m pretty sure, there air force is equipped with the newest weapons and they always get the most modern guided bombs/rockets/missles from usa.
And I'm pretty sure, they have GPS guided bombs.
They bombed bunkers...
Bunkers are buildings, they don't run away. You just didn't need a special force team, who mark the targets! You just use the coordinates, which you got from the satelite pictures...
How does the special force team reach the target site? By helicopters? How did they get back? 
These are one of several questions, I have...
I have just not the time, to write more.
I'm have just not the time, to go online and if I'm online, I have to do something else...


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## comiso90 (Oct 15, 2007)

T4.H said:


> I still have problems to believe the story.
> 
> Yes, it could be possible, but I fear it is only (again) a hoax.
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> ...



I dont believe it either but painting a target with a laser is an extra measure of accuracy......


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 15, 2007)

Well the state department made a statment not denying it on the news yestarday.


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## Matt308 (Oct 15, 2007)

T4.H. You show more than a little ignorance in this day of PC warfighting. I'm not going to dispute the claim of nuke facility or not. But to state that a ground contingent in the scenario obviates the logic is a bit naive. Les and Eric can tell you better than I ever could imagine in my feeble engineering brain, but a ground contingent affords (1) confidence in the target, (2) minimization of collateral damage on potential non-military target(s), (3) target destruction confirmation, and (4) post strike activity.


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## evangilder (Oct 16, 2007)

Yep, pinpoint accuracy, verification of target destroyed and some damn good BDA (battle damage assessment). Sorry , but satellites and phot recon are no substitute for good old grunt work. Plus the team on the ground can provide further verification of a target before it is hit. Let's face it, good camouflage will hide things from satellites. GPS will only do you good if you know where the target is.

How they get in and out is something that I am sure will never be discussed. There is a certain amount of OPSec that must be maintained, should the need arise to again use the same methods.

You can fear it a hoax if you wish T4h, but it is not a hoax and there is far more to the story than you will ever read about or hear about on the news. 

Bottom line, the Israelis did the right thing, and they did it well.


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## Erich (Oct 16, 2007)

lets face it the IDF or whatever name you want to give the military of Israel could very well be numero uno when it comes to planning and carrying out stealth operations in a quick and much effective manner ............ their past ops have shown this repeatedly with just precission. if given the chance Tehran's ruthless hierarchy could be shattered in a matter of seconds if willed, as well as Syrias or any other wanna be mideast ruling body


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## Aggie08 (Oct 21, 2007)

Israel reportedly had spy in Syrian plant : World
Israel reportedly had spy in Syrian plant 

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 Israel had a spy inside the Syrian facility that its air force bombed last month, providing photographs that proved it was a nuclear plant, ABC News reported.

ABC cited a source described as a senior U.S. official who said the Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad, either recruited a worker at the facility or got one of its own agents hired.

The official described the facility as being deep inside Syria near the Euphrates River in an area "where no one would ever go unless you had a reason to go there." He said the Israeli photographs showed a structure with thick reinforced walls and a pumping station.

The design was North Korean, the official said.

The United States reportedly refused to take action because the facility was still under construction and several years away from completion, and because there was no fissionable material there.


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## Haztoys (Oct 24, 2007)

More on the "hoax"...  ....As some have put it..

Photos said to show Israeli target in Syria - Washington Post - MSNBC.com

And on the "using a man on the ground to spot"... Thats how "I" would do it ...It shows Syria that someone "can" get that close to what there doing..Having a man on the ground was a good "PR" move for Israeli...Its like the B-52 ..It just works for the job..And why use high tec...When low tec will do the job..Do all young people real think "new is good ..and old is bad"....


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## comiso90 (Oct 24, 2007)

Haztoys said:


> More on the "hoax"...  ....As some have put it..
> 
> Photos said to show Israeli target in Syria - Washington Post - MSNBC.com
> 
> And on the "using a man on the ground to spot"... Thats how "I" would do it ...It shows Syria that someone "can" get that close to what there doing..Having a man on the ground was a good "PR" move for Israeli...Its like the B-52 ..It just works for the job..And why use high tec...When low tec will do the job..Do all young people real think "new is good ..and old is bad"....




Finally a credible news source..... thanks


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## Haztoys (Oct 28, 2007)

And to put the topping on the cake ..the photos

Images raise suspicions of Syria facility - Nightly News with Brian Williams - MSNBC.com

Wow just plow the nuke waste under  ... I'm sure they disposed of the nuke waste properly ........................................NOT..


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## Aggie08 (Oct 29, 2007)

Here's an interesting article about this whole deal. A good read.


"We Came so Close to WW3 That Day"
We came so close to World War Three that day


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## Matt308 (Oct 29, 2007)

That was a good read. Interesting story and great post.


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## comiso90 (Oct 29, 2007)

It's pretty freak'n sad that I have to hear about this on a warbirds forum..

where is the rest of the press?


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## syscom3 (Oct 29, 2007)

comiso90 said:


> It's pretty freak'n sad that I have to hear about this on a warbirds forum..
> 
> where is the rest of the press?




Why would the liberal dominated press think to show Bush was correct about the "axis of evil"?


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## Aggie08 (Oct 29, 2007)

At this point, anything that happens in the Middle East could be cited as a precursor to WW3. Can't say I wouldn't have done what Israel did though. I'm really surprised that Syria did absolutely nothing about it. They're admitting that foreign countries can attack them without expecting retaliation. Even if it wasn't a military retaliation, because they know any aircraft or tank sent into Israel would be vaporized, they could have made a big scene to the press and lied like usual. They handled it pretty badly.


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## Matt308 (Oct 29, 2007)

Oh I don't know. Wait for it. Syria will have someone else do their dirty work.


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## Haztoys (Oct 29, 2007)

And the stuff I have posted i had to dig for ..Britteny and OJ were above the nuke info ..Not good


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## comiso90 (Oct 29, 2007)

syscom3 said:


> Why would the liberal dominated press think to show Bush was correct about the "axis of evil"?



I'm not sure it's that simple. True the press is dominated by liberals but above all.... they like RATINGS!

.


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