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Report: Israel hit Syria nuclear reactor
AP on Yahoo ^ | 10/13/07 | AP

Posted on 10/13/2007 9:10:32 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

NEW YORK - An Israeli airstrike on Syria last month targeted a partially built nuclear reactor that was years away from completion, the New York Times reported Saturday, citing U.S. and foreign officials.

The report said President Bush's administration had intense discussions with the Israeli government before the strike and U.S. officials were divided over whether it would be premature.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has said Israel bombed an "unused military building" in the Sept. 6 raid. Israel has been extremely secretive about the affair. It only recently relaxed censorship to allow Israel-based journalists to report that Israeli aircraft attacked a military target deep inside Syria.

In the weeks that followed the attack, U.S. officials said it was aimed either at a nuclear or missile facility that Syria operated jointly with North Korea.

The New York Times said the nuclear reactor was modeled on one North Korea had used to create its stockpile of nuclear weapons fuel, though the role of any North Korean assistance in building it remains unclear. North Korea has denied involvement in any such activities in Syria.

Satellite photographs detected the partly constructed Syrian reactor earlier this year, the Times said, citing American officials.

The Syrian reactor was years away from be able to produce the spent nuclear fuel that could be reprocessed into bomb-grade plutonium, the newspaper said.

Syria's nuclear program has long been considered minimal, and the country is known to have only a small research reactor.

The New York Times cited American officials as saying Israel's strike may have been intended as a signal to Iran and its nuclear aspirations. In 1981, Israeli warplanes destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein's regime.

The White House and Israeli officials declined to comment on the report.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Israel; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airstrikes; iaf; israel; newyorktimes; nknukes; nuclear; nyt; reactor; sept62007; syria; syriannukes
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1 posted on 10/13/2007 9:10:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

Israel saves the world again. Yet the world continues to condemn them


2 posted on 10/13/2007 9:13:22 PM PDT by Dutch Boy
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To: NormsRevenge

Thanks to Israel for taking care of business.


3 posted on 10/13/2007 9:14:51 PM PDT by madison10 (Trying to buy USA Made Christmas gifts this year? Good luck with that.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Semi-official confirmation of something everybody new anyway?


4 posted on 10/13/2007 9:15:39 PM PDT by Neophyte (Nazis, Communists, Islamists... what the heck is the difference?)
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To: NormsRevenge
partially built nuclear reactor that was years away from completion,

Now it's further away.

5 posted on 10/13/2007 9:18:03 PM PDT by SouthTexas
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To: Dutch Boy

Not everyONE in the world (certainly not me!), but some countries mistakenly do.


6 posted on 10/13/2007 9:20:39 PM PDT by NordP (Such tough choices ahead, I'm now a "middle of the road" voter--somewhere between RUSH & Savage ;-))
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To: NormsRevenge

We know the Syrian government’s claim it was an empty building is false since if it was an easy site to restage as a baby milk factory or children’s hospital [or even a plain ol’ empty building] they would have called in the prop crew to stage it, brought in some victims and then brought in loads of reporters to film the “carnage.”


7 posted on 10/13/2007 9:22:02 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: SouthTexas
"Now it's further away."

Good... Couldn't happen to a "nicer" nuclear facility ;-) either! Bub-bye

8 posted on 10/13/2007 9:22:47 PM PDT by NordP (Such tough choices ahead, I'm now a "middle of the road" voter--somewhere between RUSH & Savage ;-))
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To: piasa

ExACTly!


9 posted on 10/13/2007 9:23:21 PM PDT by NordP (Such tough choices ahead, I'm now a "middle of the road" voter--somewhere between RUSH & Savage ;-))
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To: NormsRevenge

Somebody's gotta do them
10 posted on 10/13/2007 9:25:41 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I am for traditional moral values, a strong national defense, and free markets.)
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To: NordP

Yes it could, think there’s one in Iran that needs attention.


11 posted on 10/13/2007 9:26:12 PM PDT by SouthTexas
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To: NormsRevenge
"The New York Times cited American officials as saying Israel's strike may have been intended as a signal to Iran and its nuclear aspirations.

Uh, the intention was aginst Syria.

12 posted on 10/13/2007 9:30:47 PM PDT by endthematrix (He was shouting 'Allah!' but I didn't hear that. It just sounded like a lot of crap to me.)
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To: SouthTexas
And we're JUST the bunch to do it!

Doing the work our Congress just won't do - ;-)

AND...If they don't watch out, the PAJAMAHADEEN will be after them, too!

13 posted on 10/13/2007 9:32:37 PM PDT by NordP (Such tough choices ahead, I'm now a "middle of the road" voter--somewhere between RUSH & Savage ;-))
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To: NormsRevenge
“The Syrian reactor was years away from be able to produce the spent nuclear fuel that could be reprocessed into bomb-grade plutonium, the newspaper said”

But probably not from being used for cover to explain the presence of the Nuclear Material that came to Iraq via Africa courtesy of the Russian army's expedited shipping assistance. The WMD’s were there and someone needs to stand up and say so.

14 posted on 10/13/2007 9:46:05 PM PDT by kublia khan (Absolute war brings total victory)
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To: Neophyte
Semi-official confirmation of something everybody new anyway?

Could be, or it could be what someone, somewhere wants the world in general to think happened. Probably what really happened bears little resemblance to this story. This does originate with the New York Slimes after all. You know the folks who made the space for the "General Betray US" ad available to MoveOn.org at a deep, deep discount.

I wouldn't believe them if they said the sky is blue, without going out and verifying it for myself.

15 posted on 10/13/2007 10:11:40 PM PDT by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: NormsRevenge
The "nuclear reactor" story being circulated this far after the raid is disinformation designed to quiet speculation.

The story does not account for the Israeli raid coming just a couple of days after a North Korean ship docked in a Syrian port and transfered what ever it was carrying to the bunker site.

Something was in that shipment that made it urgent that the Israeli's to act quickly. Reactor fuel or parts for a reactor to be completed in years did not demand that urgency.

Whatever happened, you cannot discount its possible relationship to the failed Syrian Scud missile warhead loading in late July that killed a couple of dozen Iranian and Syrian technicians with what is thought to be posgene or VX gas. Was that to be a strike on Israel?

My guess is that this might have been an attempt to take DPRK nuclear material and turn it into a warhead, probably a dirty bomb, and....give it another try.

The threats have been flying for several years - the backers of Assad and Ahmadinejad may be getting restless for an actual attempt to "wipe Israel off the map".

16 posted on 10/13/2007 10:13:06 PM PDT by HardStarboard (Take No Prisoners - We're Out of Qurans)
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To: Neophyte
  1. Semi-official confirmation of something everybody new anyway?
  2. Nazis, Communists, Islamists... what the heck is the difference?

To your first point, our speculation, no matter how plausible, does not count as nowing (knowing).

To your tag line; The first group hated free people for our intellectual, ethnic and racial impurities --- the second group hates free people for our religious piety and perceived material waste --- the third group hates free people for our secularism and perceived decadence! What the common denominator? We're always wrong and they're always right. They're brilliant and we are all idiots. If only we read their important books we couldn't or wouldn't be so stupid. Until we do, or if we don't, it's OK to kill us. Here's another common denominator. Elitists usually shut up when they meet and talk to someone who has read their books but have plenty of evidence to refute what they say. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer people listening to each other. Allies are ignoring each other. Allies are ignoring their enemies. Political opponents are pandering for decreasing powers they're diminishing.

The situation (in the Middle East) may get worse before it gets better... never forget though that honesty wins. Nazis, Communist and Islamists are all lying to us, to themselves and to each other. They're not fighting us to the death. They're fighting the truth and killing us to prevent truth from spreading. Maybe they'll take some us with them... but more than likely, we'll outlive their violent absurdities.

17 posted on 10/13/2007 10:13:07 PM PDT by humint (...err the least and endure! VDH)
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To: NormsRevenge

good work.

message to iran.


18 posted on 10/13/2007 10:13:38 PM PDT by ken21 ( people die + you never hear from them again.)
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To: SouthTexas

Exactly my reaction. I guess the Times wanted them to wait until the situation was dangerous before they reacted to it . Glad to see the Jews still have some balls left. I was wondering lately . Good for them , we should learn a lesson here.


19 posted on 10/13/2007 10:16:39 PM PDT by sonic109
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To: NormsRevenge

” Israel has been extremely secretive about the affair. It only recently relaxed censorship to allow Israel-based journalists to report that Israeli aircraft attacked a military target deep inside Syria. “ in which it should have, and should be in this country in our own military actions.


20 posted on 10/13/2007 10:16:54 PM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM .53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart, there is no GOD.)
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