UN atomic watchdog says found tonnes of nuclear material at Syria site

The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, announced on Tuesday that his inspectors had discovered several tonnes of nuclear material at a Syrian site. The inspectors visited two locations, one in Deir Ezzor and another site related to the nuclear material identified by Syria recently. Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, Grossi commended Syria's "courageous decision" to disclose the undisclosed site, which dates back to the rule of former leader Bashar al-Assad.

He emphasized that the material, a few tons, could be used for harmful purposes and would be subject to international safeguards.

Syria's Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, confirmed to the press that Damascus had voluntarily declared the presence of nuclear materials at the undisclosed site in July. He assured that the technical assessments indicated the materials posed no risk and would remain under Syrian national custody, subject to the IAEA's safeguards system.

Grossi expressed confidence that the materials would be accounted for and placed under international safeguards, stating that Syrian and IAEA experts would collaborate to safely store the materials.

The site visited by Grossi in Deir Ezzor had been dormant for 18 years before 2018, when Israel reportedly conducted a top-secret air raid against it. In 2008, the US accused Syria of attempting to build a secret nuclear reactor at the site, alleging that Israel had destroyed it during the raid. Grossi suggested that the discovered nuclear materials were likely linked to the Syrian nuclear program, which was halted in 2007 following the Israeli strike.

The IAEA had previously declared the site "very likely" to have been a nuclear reactor, with information suggesting assistance from North Korea.

Academic director of the French think tank FMES Institute, Pierre Razoux, stated that the discovered nuclear materials were most likely associated with the Syrian nuclear program, which ceased in 2007 after the Israeli raid on the Al-Kibar site in Deir Ezzor. However, he noted that Syria might also possess nuclear materials that Iraq had removed in the early 2000s.

Grossi confirmed that the IAEA's findings vindicated their long-standing suspicions about Syria's clandestine nuclear activities, stating that an ongoing excavation and exploration effort was underway at the site.