U.S. brokers deal to remove nuclear material from secret Syrian site

WASHINGTON, August 11: The United States has helped broker a diplomatic agreement between Syria, Israel and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to secure and remove nuclear material from a secret site in Syria.

According to an Axios report, nuclear material stored at a secret location known as “Site 99” in Syria is to be removed under an arrangement involving the IAEA. The development comes amid concerns in Washington that the issue could trigger tensions between Syria, Israel and potentially Turkey.

The report said Israel had been monitoring Site 99 for about two years. Israeli officials believe the former government of President Bashar al-Assad had stored material linked to the al-Kibar nuclear program at the site.

According to a U.S. official, the material includes yellowcake, a uranium compound that can be further processed and enriched as part of the nuclear fuel cycle. However, U.S. officials said the material at the site is not directly usable for making a nuclear weapon, although it could potentially be used in a radiological “dirty bomb.”

According to Axios, Israel bombed entrances to the site after the fall of the Assad government in an effort to prevent access to the material. Israel also made clear to Washington that it would not tolerate the presence of nuclear material at the site and could consider further military action if access to the material was attempted.

The United States and Israel subsequently decided to pursue a diplomatic solution by involving Syria’s new government and arranging for the material to be removed. When Washington raised the issue with Syrian officials, they reportedly said they were unaware that nuclear material was stored at the site.

The report said Israeli surveillance detected activity around the site several weeks ago, prompting concerns in Israel that Syria’s new government might be reconsidering an earlier understanding and seeking access to the material. Israel also suspected that Turkey could assist the Syrian government in gaining access to the site.

The Trump administration urged Israel to refrain from military action and brought the IAEA into the matter. As a result, the IAEA and the Syrian government reached an agreement about three weeks ago to remove the nuclear material from the site.

However, according to Axios, the nuclear material has not yet been removed from Site 99 and the operation is still underway. U.S. officials expect the transfer to begin soon and hope it will be completed before the end of this year.