IAEA to remove nuclear material from secret Syrian site after US-brokered deal: Report
The agreement concerns a secret facility known as “Site 99,” where material connected to the nuclear programme of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government was reportedly stored.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to remove nuclear material from a covert site in Syria, known as Site 99, as part of a US-brokered agreement involving Syria and Israel. This comes after concerns were raised by Israel about the presence of nuclear material at the site, which was linked to the former nuclear program of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.
According to Israeli and US officials, the material at Site 99 includes yellowcake, a uranium-ore concentrate that can be used in the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as residue and remnants from the Al-Kibar reactor, which Israel destroyed in an airstrike in 2007. Despite much of Syria's suspected nuclear infrastructure being destroyed, research, storage, and related facilities remained, leading to Israeli surveillance and concerns over the security of the material at Site 99 following the fall of Assad's government.
The US administration and the IAEA worked with Syria and Israel to negotiate a diplomatic solution, avoiding military action from Israel. The agreement, signed recently, aims to secure and remove the nuclear material from Site 99, although it has not been done yet. The material, while not directly usable in a nuclear weapon, could potentially be used in a "dirty bomb," heightening the urgency of the situation.
The incident highlights the evolving relationship between the US and post-Assad Syria as Washington seeks to prevent the escalation of the nuclear-material dispute into a broader regional crisis.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
