Israel admits attack on Syrian nuclear site

THE Israeli military has confirmed it carried out the 2007 airstrike in Syria that destroyed what was believed to be a nuclear reactor, lifting the veil of secrecy over its daring and mysterious operation.

Although Israel was widely believed to have been behind the airstrike on September 6, it has never commented publicly on it.

The military revealed that eight F-15 fighter jets carried out the top-secret airstrikes against the facility in the Deir el-zour region, 300 miles northwest of Damascus, destroying a site that had been in development for years.

Israel’s involvement has been one of its most closely held secrets, and it was not immediately clear why the country decided to go public now.

The military 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 arch-enemy Iran, which is active in Syria.

Israel and Syria have always been bitter enemies. Throughout Syria’s sevenyear civil war, Israel has carried out well over 100 airstrikes, most believed to have been aimed at suspected weapons shipments destined for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Both Iran and Hizbollah are allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

At the time of the 2007 strike, Syria accused Israel of invading its airspace, but gave no further details about the target.

The pre-mission briefing, made public yesterday, stated that the operation should not be attributed to Israel so as to minimise the potential for an all-out war.

It was also ordered that it be kept secret “until further notice”.