IAEA to visit Syria over nuclear material left by Assad regime

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will dispatch a delegation to Syria in the near future to address nuclear material remnants from the Assad regime, according to the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria. This development coincides with reports that the IAEA plans to extract nuclear material from Site 99, a covert location in Syria, as part of a US-mediated agreement.

In a Telegram announcement, Syria's atomic agency expressed its readiness to welcome the IAEA delegation shortly to showcase the substantial advancements made by the nation. The organization also pledged its collaboration with the UN nuclear watchdog and the US to address the legacy of the deposed Assad regime and facilitate Syria's reintegration into the IAEA fold, as reported by the official Sana news agency.

This development follows extensive diplomatic endeavors by the US administration under President Donald Trump to engender an understanding between Syria and Israel concerning Site 99. The accord aims to secure the nuclear material housed at the site and avert potential conflict involving Israel, Syria, and possibly Turkey, according to Axios, which sourced information from Israeli and US officials.

Site 99 allegedly housed nuclear material intended for the unfinished Al Kibar nuclear reactor project. The Al Kibar reactor, situated in the eastern Syrian region of Deir Ezzor, was an abandoned nuclear research facility. Israel carried out a bombing raid on the complex in 2007, effectively destroying the facility and disrupting Syria's nuclear program.

In May 2011, the IAEA concluded that the destroyed structure was highly probable to have been a nuclear reactor, based on visual evidence from ground photographs and satellite imagery, site layout, water-pumping systems, and the presence of nuclear materials in environmental samples, as well as discrepancies with Syria's stated purpose for the site.

Following the Israeli attack in May 2011, several research, development, and storage sites remained active, although most were dormant. According to a US official quoted by Axios, the material stored at Site 99 comprised yellow cake, a uranium ore powder that can be further processed and enriched for use in the nuclear fuel cycle.

Although the material is not directly usable for constructing a nuclear weapon, it could be employed in a "dirty bomb," a conventional explosive device designed to scatter radioactive materials and contaminate an area without triggering a nuclear detonation.

Post the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, the IAEA reached an agreement with Syria's fresh government, permitting the UN nuclear watchdog to inspect the Al Kibar reactor and other locations associated with Syria's previous nuclear endeavors. Israeli officials disclosed to Axios that the Israeli military had targeted the entrances to Site 99 shortly after Assad's downfall to prevent access to the material.

Israel also threatened to re-initiate attacks on the site if the material was not extracted or if there were indications that Syria was attempting to retrieve it. These threats, combined with escalating tensions surrounding the site, culminated in a US-mediated agreement between the IAEA and the Syrian government to extract the remaining nuclear material.

US officials confirmed that the operation at Site 99 was ongoing, with the material not yet removed. A US official expressed optimism about the outcome, hoping to commence the removal process by the year's end.