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Inside Intel / Not a reactor - something far more vicious
Haaretz ^ | 11/22/07 | Yossi Melman

Posted on 11/26/2007 6:09:33 PM PST by dervish

Ten weeks have passed since the Israel Air Force attacked in Syria, and there is still no reliable information about the precise target that was destroyed, or about the importance and necessity of the attack. Since Israel keeps maintaining its veil of secrecy, Everything that is known comes from leaks by anonymous U.S. administration officials to several of the major American media outlets. What is almost certain, judging from the leaks, are the following facts: A nuclear site built by the Syrians was attacked, and there was some connection to know-how and technology transferred from North Korea. The prevailing assumption is that it was a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor that was in stages of construction, that would have enabled Syria to produce plutonium to manufacture a nuclear bomb.

This assumption relies first and foremost on an analysis by scholar David Albright, director of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington (ISIS). Albright was part of the United Nations supervisory unit in Iraq that searched for weapons of mass destruction.

'snip'

Albright's assessments, which hold that what was attacked in Syria was a nuclear reactor, have become almost an authoritative voice. They have been unreservedly adopted all over the world, Israeli media included.

But Prof. Uzi Even of Tel Aviv University is challenging them here for the first time.

'snip'

"In my estimation this was something very nasty and vicious, and even more dangerous than a reactor," says Even. "I have no information, only an assessment, but I suspect that it was a plant for processing plutonium, namely a factory for assembling the bomb."

In other words, Syria already had several kilograms of plutonium, and it was involved in building a bomb factory (the assembling of one bomb requires about four kilograms of fissionable material).

'snip'

(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 96; airstrikes; iaf; israel; northkorea; nukes; sept62007; syria; syriannukes
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To: Former Proud Canadian
My first thought was, if NK gave the plutonium to Syria, why haven’t they sold some to Iran? Answer, they probably have and we are in big trouble.

Hopefully, the US assets were watching both the Iranians and North Koreans closely and any ship from North Korea, even if re-flagged, would have been closely monitored. By shipping to Syria and actually launching the packages from Syria, the Iranians can claim complete innocence. Worse case for Iranians then is that Syria would get nuked in retaliation. North Korean would be busy negotiating in good faith and wondering how those Syrians progressed so quickly.

81 posted on 11/27/2007 2:22:37 PM PST by justa-hairyape
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To: justa-hairyape
Side note - Worse case scenario concerns one report that appeared briefly which stated that the re-flagged ship from North Korea stopped at Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood) and Lebanon (Hezbollha) before arriving at the Syrian port.
82 posted on 11/27/2007 2:25:14 PM PST by justa-hairyape
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To: justa-hairyape

Another benefit of waiting is the net was widened: that NK ship stopped in Eqypt and Lebanon before continuing on to Tartous.


83 posted on 11/27/2007 2:26:08 PM PST by txhurl (Yes there were WMDs)
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To: justa-hairyape

Jinx, I owe you a coke!


84 posted on 11/27/2007 2:28:12 PM PST by txhurl (Yes there were WMDs)
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Comment #85 Removed by Moderator

To: justa-hairyape

All of this just raises more questions about why on Earth is Syria allowed to be brought in on this Annapolis ‘Peace’ with Israel schrade?

I don’t get why America (Condi, Bush, State Dept.) believes for a minute that any Arab country would be trustworthy or actually wants Israel to exist as a nation at all.

I know this is tin-foil hat stuff, but what would happen if Annapolis gets nuked in the next couple of days?


86 posted on 11/27/2007 2:34:48 PM PST by ScubieNuc
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To: txflake
Sorry if I am being dense, but are the two pictures you show supposed to be the “after” pics or the "before" pics? The second is a closer picture of the upper portion of the first.

I don't see any damage in them.

Paul

87 posted on 11/27/2007 2:43:21 PM PST by ParadigmLost (Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. -- African Proverb)
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To: ParadigmLost

The same site, at different zooms.


88 posted on 11/27/2007 3:41:10 PM PST by txhurl (Yes there were WMDs)
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To: txflake
Thats what I thought, but you said, “what do you think this was”, so I inferred that the site had been destroyed.

Are there any “after” pics?

Just curious. Thanks

89 posted on 11/27/2007 4:47:03 PM PST by ParadigmLost (Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. -- African Proverb)
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To: txflake

“By waiting we caught NK red-handed.”

Assuming this is true (and I tend to disbelieve it based on many factors), what are we doing now in the six party talks?


90 posted on 11/27/2007 4:57:53 PM PST by dervish (Pray for the peace of an UNDIVIDED JEWISH Jerusalem)
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To: ParadigmLost

Those pictures are not of the site in Syria that was bombed.


91 posted on 11/27/2007 5:24:30 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (- Attention all planets of the solar Federation--Secret plan codeword: Banana)
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To: ParadigmLost; UCANSEE2; txflake

excellent pictures

http://www.isis-online.org/publications/SuspectSiteUpdate26October2007.pdf

http://www.isis-online.org/


92 posted on 11/27/2007 5:59:25 PM PST by dervish (Pray for the peace of an UNDIVIDED JEWISH Jerusalem)
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To: dervish
Yes, very. Thanks.

I think there was one or more that were levelled, waiting for sat confirmation.

93 posted on 11/27/2007 7:50:36 PM PST by txhurl (Yes there were WMDs)
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To: txflake
Another benefit of waiting is the net was widened: that NK ship stopped in Eqypt and Lebanon before continuing on to Tartous.

True. But potentially getting Plutonium into the hands of the worlds worse terrorist organizations sure has to end up being worth the price. Time will tell, I guess.

94 posted on 11/27/2007 8:52:17 PM PST by justa-hairyape
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To: ScubieNuc
..but what would happen if Annapolis gets nuked in the next couple of days?

There are currently riots in some parts of the Middle East as terrorists call their leaders who went to Annapolis, 'traitors'. Just watching the world news is kinda scary nowadays. The rest of the world seems to be either rioting or on the verge. Nuclear proliferation is the last thing we need to add into that mix. My guess is the leaders meeting in Annapolis might not want to go to their home countries anytime soon. Especially since there may be loose plutonium in Egypt/Lebanon and the Israelis just went 'All In' on the poker table with their strike on Syria. GWB and the Globalist Rino herd might just get lucky in this kinda-of-a-situation, but I doubt it.

95 posted on 11/27/2007 9:03:10 PM PST by justa-hairyape
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To: justa-hairyape
The fact that nearly all arabs have been quiet on this tells me that they're pacified.

I've slept like a baby since 9/6, knowing that our massive show of capability has MADded the region.

96 posted on 11/27/2007 9:35:16 PM PST by txhurl (Yes there were WMDs)
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To: txflake

Also shows that when it needs to be kept ‘secret’, it is kept secret.

There are more ‘secrets’ and we will know about them, after the fact. Those who worry so much about why Condi is or isn’t doing such and such, or Bush, or the Israeli’s, just need to be more patient.

Sleep soundly, my friend.
To everyone else: No sense in worrying. Worry won’t solve a thing. Just be ‘aware’, and ‘patient’.


97 posted on 11/27/2007 9:50:48 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (- Attention all planets of the solar Federation--Secret plan codeword: Banana)
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To: txflake

The site your pictures showed was purported to be the network center for the “impenetrable” Syrian air defense system newly purchased from the Russians. That site in Northern Syria was bombed and brought down the whole system, allowing the strike on the site in the article. It was the bombing of the pictured site that was supposed to have caused the overflight through Turkey to get at it, since it had to be knocked out before overflights of Syria could safely occur.


98 posted on 11/27/2007 9:55:25 PM PST by Excuse_Me (Global Waning fanatics--As FDR almost said, the only thing we have to fear is Gore himself.)
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To: Doctor Raoul
Looking at Leahy, Pelosi, Feimstein, Reid, Schummer and comapny...

Every one of them should be in prison for their leaks too. If our government is to take national security seriously at all, people need to start going to prison for intentionally leaking classified info.

I'm wondering if there is anyone left in Washington who gives a damn about the future of this nation.

99 posted on 11/27/2007 9:56:52 PM PST by TChris (Cartels (oil, diamonds, labor) are bad. Free-market competition is good.)
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To: UCANSEE2
You sleep soundly, too, and I appreciate your supporting our CINC.

Turning around radical Islam in eight years is something that no one else can claim, in a thousand years, since Martel.

Reagan destroyed Communism, W is destroying Islamism.

/W bot:)

100 posted on 11/27/2007 9:59:57 PM PST by txhurl (Yes there were WMDs)
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