Israel confirms 2007 strike in Deir Al Zor
The top-secret strike was carried out on what Israeli regime said was a nuclear reactor
The Israeli military confirmed yesterday it carried out the 2007 air strike in Syria that destroyed what was believed to be a nuclear reactor.
Although the Israeli regime was widely believed to have been behind the September 6, 2007, air strike, it has never before commented publicly on it.
In a lengthy release, the military revealed that eight F-15 fighter jets carried out the topsecret air strikes against the facility in the Deir Al Zor region, 450 kilometres northeast of Damascus, destroying a site that had been in development for years and was scheduled to go into operation at the end of that year.
Israel’s involvement has been one of its most closely held secrets, and it was not immediately clear why Israel decided to go public now.
The regime would not comment on its reasoning, but the move could be related to the upcoming memoir of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who ordered the strike and has hinted about it for years, or it could be meant as a warning to Iran, which is active in Syria.
Throughout Syria’s sevenyear civil war, Israel has carried out well over 100 air strikes, most believed to have been aimed at suspected weapons shipments destined for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Both Iran and Hezbollah are allied with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
“The message from the 2007 attack on the reactor is that Israel will not tolerate construction that can pose an existential threat,” military chief Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said in yesterday’s statement.
Operation ‘Outside The Box’
Eisenkot said it marked Israel’s most comprehensive attack in Syria since the 1973 Mideast war, and that everyone involved knew it could spark a new one. He said only a handful of top commanders were aware of the plans for Operation “Outside The Box.”
Yesterday’s announcement also indicated the Syrian reactor was much closer to completion than previously reported.
The military said it began obtaining information regarding foreign experts helping Syria develop the Deir Al Zor site in late 2004.
Later it discovered that North Korea was helping Syria build a reactor to manufacture plutonium.
In his memoir, Decision Points, former President George W. Bush said the target was believed to be a Syrian nuclear reactor being built with North Korean assistance.