Israel admits it DID bomb Syrian ‘nuclear reactor’

ISRAEL has confirmed for the first time it carried out air strikes on a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007.

Although widely believed to have been behind the operation, its involvement was a closely guarded secret until the Israeli military de-classified briefings yesterday.

It revealed eight F- 15 fighter jets destroyed the site in the Deir el-Zour region, which was only months from being operational.

The details were kept secret to avoid allout war in the Middle East and Israel would not comment on why it has gone public now. But experts said it could be a warning to arch-enemy Iran – which backs Syrian president Bashar al-Assad – that it would not be allowed to develop its own nuclear weapons capability.

Israeli Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot said in yesterday’s statement: ‘The message from the 2007 attack on the reactor is that Israel will not tolerate construction that can pose an existential threat.’

In 1981 Israeli forces took out a reactor in Iraq, which was credited with preventing Saddam Hussein acquiring WMDs.