Uranium found at an alleged Syrian nuclear facility must have come from the Israeli weapons used to destroy the site 14 months ago, a top Syrian official repeated today, saying that no other explanation made sense (see GSN, Nov. 12).
An Israeli air attack destroyed a building near al-Kibar in September 2007, and U.S. intelligence officials later offered evidence that the site was a nearly completed nuclear reactor intended to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons (see GSN, April 25).
A subsequent investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency found small amounts of uranium in soil and air samples taken by inspectors in June. Syria has consistently denied having any secret nuclear activities.
"The traces of uranium found on the site come from Israeli missiles launched during the destruction of the building," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said today. "It is the only plausible explanation."
The destroyed building "was a military building that had no nuclear vocation," he added.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday he would issue his first formal report on the matter this week (see GSN, Nov. 17; Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, Nov. 18).