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September 23, 2007
Operation Orchard Yields North Korean Nuclear Material
More revelations about Operation Orchard.
Israeli commandos from the elite Sayeret Matkal unit—almost certainly dressed in Syrian uniforms—made their way stealthily towards a secret military compound near Dayr az-Zawr in northern Syria. They were looking for proof that Syria and North Korea were collaborating on a nuclear programme.
Israel had been surveying the site for months, according to Washington and Israeli sources. President George W Bush was told during the summer that Israeli intelligence suggested North Korean personnel and nuclear-related material were at the Syrian site.
Israel was determined not to take any chances with its neighbour. Following the example set by its raid on an Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak 1981, it drew up plans to bomb the Syrian compound.
But Washington was not satisfied. It demanded clear evidence of nuclear-related activities before giving the operation its blessing. The task of the commandos was to provide it.
Today the site near Dayr az-Zawr lies in ruins after it was pounded by Israeli F15Is on September 6. Before the Israelis issued the order to strike, the commandos had secretly seized samples of nuclear material and taken them back into Israel for examination by scientists, the sources say. A laboratory confirmed that the unspecified material was North Korean in origin. America approved an attack.
News of the secret ground raid is the latest piece of the jigsaw to emerge about the mysterious Israeli airstrike. Israel has imposed a news blackout, but has not disguised its satisfaction with the mission. The incident also reveals the extent of the cooperation between America and Israel over nuclear-related security issues in the Middle East. The attack on what Israeli defence sources now call the “North Korean project” appears to be part of a wider, secret war against the nonconventional weapons ambitions of Syria and North Korea which, along with Iran, appears to have been forging a new “axis of evil”.
To read the rest of the story, please click here.
This video presentation includes animated scenes reconstructing the raid. Well done.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at September 23, 2007 11:11 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
I'm not sure how reliable the Times's reporter is. Meryl Yourish has a rather devastating critique.
(I'm not saying that Syria isn't up to something. Just that I'm skeptical of the nuclear claims and while I'm sure that the operation was quite complex, I don't think that he knows as much about as he's written.)
Posted by: soccerdad ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 24, 2007 09:07 AM
Soccer Dad:
Thanks so much. I'm sort of throwing everything up about the raid because there's so little out there. I'll preface each piece form now on about how reliable I think the info might be:)
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at September 24, 2007 10:48 AM