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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| The Nuclear Material Remaining in Syria: Questions, Risks, and Oversight Challenges |
| 2026-08-21 |
| by Dr. Zoe Levornik August 20, 2026 [IsraelAlma] On August 10, it was reported that the United States had reached understandings with Syria and Israel under which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would oversee the removal of nuclear material from “Site 99” in Syria. According to the report, the site contained remnants of the Assad regime’s clandestine nuclear program, including uranium yellowcake. Israel had been monitoring the site and made clear that it would not tolerate the material remaining there. On August 18, Syria and the IAEA issued an official joint statement presenting a different, and potentially contradictory, picture from the August 10 report: the nuclear material declared by Damascus would remain in Syrian custody and be placed under international safeguards. IAEA inspectors visited the Deir ez-Zor site, as well as another site associated with material that Syria declared only in July 2026. At present, it is unclear whether the reports refer to the same material and the same site. The material at “Site 99” may still be intended for removal, while another stockpile will remain in Syria; it is also possible that the earlier understandings were revised. The discrepancy between the reports has not been publicly explained and requires clarification. According to reports, the nuclear material is linked to the Assad regime’s “Al-Kibar” program. At the center of the program was a clandestine nuclear reactor built in the Deir ez-Zor area with North Korean assistance and based on a design similar to the Yongbyon reactor, a nuclear reactor in North Korea that was used to produce plutonium for its nuclear weapons program. The reactor was reportedly intended to enable the production of plutonium that could eventually have been used in nuclear weapons. Israel destroyed it in September 2007, shortly before it became operational. Following the strike, the Assad regime demolished the remains of the structure, concealed information, and restricted the IAEA’s access for years to sites and individuals associated with the program. More at the link Related: Site 99: 2026-08-19 IAEA finds ‘tons’ of nuclear material in Syria; Damascus: We’ll keep it for ‘peaceful’ energy use Site 99: 2026-08-12 President Trump administration negotiates removal of nuclear material from covert Syrian site Site 99: 2026-08-12 Syria: Secret Understandings to Remove Nuclear Material from 'Site 99' |
| Posted by:badanov |
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| Posted by: Besoeker 2026-08-21 07:24 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2026-08-21 03:45 |