On September 6, 2007, something very important may have happened in northern Syria near the Turkish border. It is believed that Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-16s and F-15s attacked a site in Syria that may have had nuclear material. What is alarming is not the increase in tensions from Syria and Israel, but the silence that exists on both sides. Complicating matters is the contention that North Korea is involved in Syrian nuclear ambitions.

There are scattered and unverifiable reports that Israel carried out a strike against a Syrian target.  What exactly the target was and what was struck is not yet clear; however, something very important may have occurred, akin to the strike on Osirak in Iraq in 1981. Global Security has constructed a timeline of the events and news reports that have leaked out since the incident occurred.

An unnamed source stated four days after the incident that a pilot nuclear enrichment operation was the target of the strike. The next day, a U.S. government official stated that the target was a Syrian weapons shipment destined for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. On September 13, 2007, Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler wrote that “…a former Israeli official said he had been told that it was an attack against a facility capable of making unconventional weapons.” On September 15th, Kessler reported that an Israeli official provided the U.S. with evidence of Syrian-North Korean cooperation on a nuclear facility.

On September 16th, the Sunday Times reported that Syria had planned a “devastating surprise” for Israel in response to Israel’s attack on the nuclear shipment from North Korea to Syria.

“The paper reported that Israeli sources said planning for the strike began in late spring 2007 when Mossad director Meir Dagan presented Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with evidence that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear weapon from North Korea.”

Then again on September 16th, military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told the Israeli Foreign Affairs and Defense parliamentary committee that Israel had recovered its “deterrent capability” after the strike on Syria.

These reports may sound like the background for a James Bond movie, but they are real and could have an enormous impact on the strategic reality of the Middle East for years to come. It is also very troubling to think that North Korea may be in the business of selling nuclear weapons to terrorist supporting states. If it is true that North Korea is willing to sell a working nuclear weapon to Syria, they may also be willing to sell one to al Qaeda.

It is also revealing that both Israel and Syria have remained so silent on the subject. Syria certainly knows how to make a fuss in the United Nations when it wants to. Past Israeli strikes on militant camps in Syria have provoked a loud outcry among Arab and Islamic states against Israel. With Syria staying mum after a violation of its airspace by Israeli warplanes, it indicates clearly that Syria does not want to bring attention to itself. It is also likely that Turkey, or elements of the Turkish military, provided IAF jets with a flight corridor to the Syrian site. Drop tanks believed to be from IAF jets were found in Turkey who then asked Israel for clarification on the matter. Turkey and Israel have a longstanding intelligence and defense relationship despite their religious differences.

Shortly after the IAF strike, North Korea cancelled Six-Party talks at the last minute. The talks were scheduled to begin on September 19, 2007 to further negotiations to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program.(source) North Korea may have faced tough questions from U.S. officials over its involvement in Syria’s nuclear program. Despite this, a U.S. led team of experts is expected soon to deliver a very positive report on the progress of inspections after visiting Pyongyang.

However, North Korea may be cooperating more openly with the Six Party group because it has outsourced its nuclear program to Syria. North Korea has called allegations of its ties to Syrian nuclear development “a conspiracy”.(source) However, it is a verifiable fact that a North Korean flagged freighter was docked at the Syrian port of Tartus on September 3, 2007.(source) “Two Web sites list the Al-Hamad freighter as having docked at Tartus on September 3, flying North Korean colors. A third Web site, run by the Egyptian Transportation Ministry, says the Al-Hamad docked in the Nile Delta one month earlier and later passed by the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli.”

Syrian Scud Missile launchers were bought from North Korea or built using North Korean blue prints. It is believed they are stationed at the same port in Syria, Tartus, where the Al-Hamad freighter was spotted. While North Korea appears more cooperative in East Asia, it could be acting far more dangerously with Syria in the Middle East. U.S. officials have confirmed that North Korean nuclear experts were in Syria assisting in its covert nuclear program.(source)

The question for U.S., Israeli, and other Western policy makers is what this all means and what should be done about it? The U.S. has its hands full in Iraq and Afghanistan. European nations appear unenthusiastic, to put it mildly, in dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. North Korea appears to be more cooperative, but may be doing so to deflect attention from its involvement with Syria.

It can be assumed that Israel will take the actions that are necessary to protect itself and ensure its survival. The strike on Syria was very likely done to ensure that its nuclear deterrent would remain intact. Should Iran reach a critical point in its nuclear weapons program, it should be assumed that Israel will not hesitate to attack Iranian nuclear sites, even if it involves heavy losses and international condemnation.

Another possibility is that Israel preemptively destroyed a planned nuclear site in Syria and did the world an enormous favor, much like what it did in 1981 when it attacked the Osirak nuclear site in Iraq. In an absurd development, but typical of the United Nations, Syria has been made the co-chair of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA)(link), while the eighth anti-Syrian politician in a few years was assassinated in Lebanon. Although the prospect of peace between Syria and Israel looks bleak, Israel’s actions may have saved the world from incredible danger and instability in the future.

It is quite clear that the “Axis of Evil” remains in tact, with Syria having taken Iraq’s place. The question for American and Western policy makers is how much longer we will remain in a phony war against Iran and Syria?

 

The original article can be found at http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/

 

Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of Accuracy in Media or its staff.

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