Report: Israel spots nuclear installations in Syria

[oberliner]

Source: Ynetnews

Israel believes that North Korea has been supplying Syria and Iran with nuclear materials, a Washington defense official told the New York Times. “The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” he said.

The official added that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.

<snip>

"This is a very dangerous provocation little short of wantonly violating the sovereignty of Syria and seriously harassing the regional peace and security," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly denounces the above-said intrusion and extends full support and solidarity to the Syrian people in their just cause to defend the national security and the regional peace."

Read more: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3448829,00.html

[LeftCoast]

1. Thats....convenient.

[Richard Steele]

2. LOL, DAMMIT! What have I told you about reading my mind?

Seriously: If NK was selling its "leftover materials", that's stuff
that would be moved in heavy suitcases. The notion that Israeli
recon planes would suddenly spot BUILDINGS that somehow "prove"
such sales had occurred is just patently ridiculous.

"Look: the SHAPE of that Syrian factory building proves that it
MUST be concealing a few dozen kilos of North Korean uranium!"

Utter...fucking...nonsense!

[LeftCoast]

4. Great minds, etc! LOL

:hi:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. you called it.

nonsense is what it is. The timing, after BetrayUs report and crocker's crock, is simply, well, AMAZING, no?

[poverlay]

26. It makes me picture buildings shaped like letters. ..n/t

[Raster]

3. sounds like the cheney*/bush* run up for attacking Syria has begun.

[still_one]

9. The bush administration has rejected the baker/hamilton report

That report said the ONLY way for success in the middle east is to engage all parties in a dialouge

The Democrats should be waving that BIPARTISAN report in everyones face

[Raster]

34. As they cower in the corner, afraid cheney*/bush* is gonna steal their lunch money.

Those Democrats???

Wake up, America!:kick:

[Roland99]

5. US satellites couldn't see this???

[kysrsoze]

19. Before we get too excited about this story, let me say, "Y-Net News is a bunch of fucking liars."

There, I said it. They're about as believable as DEBKA and Faux News. Of course, all three of them are now trumpeting Iran/Syria B.S. from the highest mountain.

[oberliner]

35. Same story from AFP

Israel believes N. Korea selling nuke material to Syria

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Israel recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea, The New York Times reported Thursday.

A US administration official said Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of its nuclear material on Syria, the Times reported.

"The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left," the unidentified official was quoted as saying.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhnb7da1DTA2zm178uQyYJyMvRBg

[acmavm]

6. News Bulletin: The United States is suspected of supplying Israel with

nuclear materials and sophisticated weapons...

:sarcasm:

[and-justice-for-all]

7. I am pretty sure Israel has at least 3..

and they got'em from you know who. You know, from the only place that has every used a couple.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. Actually Israel is generally thought to have a much larger nuclear force.

Israel is the sixth nation in the world, and the first in the Middle East, to develop and acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Israel initiated its nuclear program in earnest in the mid-to-late 1950s, and by late 1966, it had completed the R&D phase of its first nuclear weapon device. Since 1970, Israel's status as a nuclear weapon state (NWS) has become an accepted international fact.

However, Israel's behavior as a NWS has been distinctly different from the behavior of the five official members of the nuclear club that have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)—the United States, Russia, France, China, and the United Kingdom; and India and Pakistan, which have not signed the NPT. While these nations have publicly declared their nuclear status, Israel, to this day, has never confirmed or denied its nuclear status and remains outside the NPT. Since Prime Minister Levi Eshkol pledged in the mid-1960s that "Israel will not be the first nation to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East," all his successors have adhered to this opaque declared policy. This policy has become known as Israel's policy of "nuclear opacity" or ambiguity, perhaps the most distinguishing Israeli contribution to the nuclear age.

Israel is now an advanced NWS, in both quality and quantity of its arsenal. Estimates as to the size of Israel's nuclear arsenal vary significantly and range from fewer than 100 warheads to as many as 300. It is believed that Israel's current nuclear arsenal, along with its related delivery and command and control infrastructure, is comparable in quantity and quality to that of the United Kingdom and France (superior to that of India and Pakistan).
http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Israel/Nuclear/index.html

The "delivery and command and control infrastructure" is thought to include submarine based weapons that give Israel a survivable force.

[ClintonTyree]

12. Sounds like Israel meets Bush's definition of....

a "rogue nation". I expect serious repercussions forthcoming from the Bush White House. :sarcasm:

[Megahurtz]

33. They ARE A Rogue Nation All Right.

Warmongers.:grr:

[0007]

15. I don't know if I could trust the source of this information with its

deluded facts and embellished statements.

[endarkenment]

16. Google is your friend.

The Israeli nuclear force estimates are widely published and all pretty much the same.

[0007]

20. You're right on pal!

'The Israeli nuclear force estimates are widely published and all pretty much the same.'

Mordechai Vanunu - The Israel Nuclear Scientist was more than a technician as the article stated.

Your are right 'Google' is my friend.

http://www.serve.com/vanunu/

Its main source for the period up to 1970 is Avner Cohen's book Israel and the Bomb, while for the more recent period, it is based on various non-Israeli reports and publications (all unconfirmed), including the so-called Vanunu testimony, the disclosure made on 5 October 1986 in the London Sunday Times, based on a testimony of Mordechai Vanunu, a technician who had worked at the Dimona nuclear facility and subsequently broke his oath of secrecy.

My question is why would Israel need secrecy when everything was above board?

[endarkenment]

27. Nothing about it is 'above board'.

The Israeli nuclear program flies right in the face of the supposed great powers consensus of non-proliferation and makes a farce of the AIPAC lobbying that portrays an Israel under siege and in need of billions in military aid to stave off the forces arrayed against it. We are about to bombiran because they might be developing a bomb? What a freaking joke.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

18. The israeli who they put in prison for spilling the beans

suggested 10 yrs ago that they had many dozens (larger than a breadbox, just under 100)/ I would assume that more have been built since then.

[TheWraith]

32. Credible estimates range between 70 and 400 warheads.

Nobody outside the Israeli government and maybe western intel really knows for sure.

[InkAddict]

28. Don't worry-be happy

The USAF is standing down nationwide tomorrow so it can investigate why it can't even keep track of our own nukes. Was it 5, no 6--strap 'em on tigers; Barksdale needs 'em now.

[EVDebs]

30. If Israel can launch them from subs it's all over eom.

[still_one]

8. Now I am confused. I thought the bush administration said N. Korea agreed to terms

This is a complete reversal what has been coming out of the administrations mouth, and their negotiators in N. Korea

I know one thing, and that is extremists on both sides of the issue would like to see an all out middle east war.

I also know that moderates on all sides of the issue want to see peace, and a two state solution

It wasn't that long ago when Israel was about to negotiate with Syria, and the bush administration immediately steped in and threatened Israel not to engage in a dialog with Syria

Funny, but this is the same bush administration that threatened South Korea to stop the sunshine talkes with the North, and stopped all negotiations that Clinton had started with North Korea, and Isreal and the Palestinians

Finally, within the last year, the bush administration went back to the table with North Korea, and put the negotiations back to where they were where Clinton left off

It is time for all parties to get back to the negotiating table, but unfortunately what the bush administration has done, is derail almost any hope for that in the middle east

If we are fortunate, this administration will NOT be able to start anymore wars, and the Democrats will hopefully take over in 2008, and try to engage in a dialouge

Please remember that the Baker/Hamilton report has been soundly rejected by the bush administration, and that calls for a dialouge between ALL PARTIES

I am convienced that this administration wants an all out war, thinking they can control the oil resources in the middle east

God help the world if they are allowed to succeed

[still_one]

10. What is noteworthy is both Israel and Syria are keep a low profile of this

Now is the time to engage in a dialouge.

The potential for this could affect life as we know it, if ALL parties are not forced to stop this, and sit down and talk

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[Javaman]

21. So does this mean that the Iran war burning was just turn up another notch?

bank on it.

[Ian David]

22. What ever happened to that Vallerie Plame chick that was supposed to prevent this from happening?nt

[superkia]

25. I am amazed the big machine hasnt completelty silenced her yet?

I hope that she has some diary or something, maybe her lawyers may have something covering what she knows so her story will get out to the people at some point.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

37. bbbut she were a democrat party babe, and you can't trust them

'cause they love terra-ists and hate murica, and love muslims and hate god, and love pagans and hate us gud christianitans.

[PATRICK]

23. Another early

act in a very panned production. israel is really flexing to hit Syria as America overshadows everything with a hit against Iran. This is extremely pre-meditated but will be presented seamlessly as spontaneous in the new mess Cheney is creating. This is their last chance really to get the aggressive agenda done.

Their determination is only matched by the grimness that it will be very very ugly and likely disastrous.

[CGowen]

24. weapons of mass distraction...n/t

[EVDebs]

29. So the Bush administration is continuing the food/fuel aid to NoKorea ? interesting

Same thoughts as post #8

[scipan]

31. NYT has it too

U.S. Confirms Israeli Strikes Hit Syrian Target Last Week

By MARK MAZZETTI and HELENE COOPER
Published: September 12, 2007

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 — After days of silence from the Israeli government, American officials confirmed Tuesday that Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes inside Syria last week, the first such attack since 2003.

A Defense Department official said Israeli jets had struck at least one target in northeastern Syria last Thursday, but the official said it was still unclear exactly what the jets hit and the extent of the bombing damage.

Syria has lodged a protest at the United Nations in response to the airstrike, accusing Israel of “flagrant violation” of its airspace. But Israel’s government has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/world/middleeast/12syria.html

[HuffleClaw]

36. bwahhhaahhhaaaaaa

suuuuuuuuure