You don’t have to “field test” (on humans). The US certainly had them during the cold war, the whole point is that it is a normal nuke with a lot of the energy siphoned off to radiation. It does *not* leave buildings intact, that is a far-left fantasy intended as a propaganda point against NATO.
What it is used for is killing tank crews, fast and painfully, to stop large armor movements.
And Israel certainly also have strategic warheads, as well as the whole triad of delivery mechanisms. This isn’t exactly magic.
And no, I no longer have articles from that early period.