International Atomic Energy Agency (Getty Images)
Nuclear material left at a secret site in Syria is set to be taken out of the country by the International Atomic Energy Agency following U.S.-led negotiations with Syrian and Israeli officials, Axios reported.
The Trump administration and the IAEA worked quickly to reach an agreement, fearing an escalation between Israel, Syria, and Turkey over the sensitive site. The monthslong negotiations were resolved several weeks ago but remained undisclosed until now.
Syria’s nuclear program, developed under former President Bashar al-Assad, was largely destroyed when Israel bombed a reactor in 2007. Several research and storage sites remained but were mostly inactive.
Israel had been monitoring Site 99 over concerns that nuclear material stored there, including yellowcake, could be used in a dirty bomb. Israeli forces later bombed the entrances to prevent anyone from accessing the site, according to Israeli officials.
Israel warned it would not allow the nuclear material to remain at the site and threatened to bomb it.
The United States and Israel ultimately agreed that Syria should remove the material, and Damascus agreed to do so.
“When we work with the Syrians on things, they are good partners,” the U.S. official told Axios.
Recently, the Israelis were concerned the Syrian government was trying to access the nuclear material, with assistance from Turkey. The Trump administration asked Israel not to take any action and brought the IAEA into the picture, which resulted in the agreement.
“We think everybody is happy with the result. Hopefully, we will be able to kick off the removal process soon and end it before the end of the year,” the U.S. official told Axios.
The White House, the IAEA, and the Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment to Axios.
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