The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria confirmed that Syria continues to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United States, and friendly countries to address what it described as the “legacy of the ousted regime,” fully restore Syria’s engagement with the agency, and secure support for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including in health, food, and scientific research.
In a statement published on its official channels on Tuesday, August 11, the commission said Syria had made tangible progress on the issue since the “liberation of the country,” relying on its national capabilities despite limited technical resources and insufficient international support so far. It renewed its call for the formation of a specialized international committee to provide the technical and legal support needed to complete the procedures in accordance with the highest international standards.
The commission added that an IAEA delegation would visit Syria in the coming days, after which the progress made by the country in this field would be announced jointly.
The commission’s statement coincided with an Axios report published on Monday, August 10, revealing secret understandings brokered by the administration of US President Donald Trump between Syria and Israel. The understandings led to an agreement between the Syrian government and the IAEA to remove nuclear material stored at a secret site inside Syria, in an operation that has not yet begun.
According to US and Israeli officials cited by Axios, the moves followed months of threats and behind-the-scenes negotiations aimed at securing the material at the site and preventing the issue from developing into a regional crisis involving Israel and Syria, and potentially Turkey as well.
Axios reported that the IAEA and the Syrian government reached an agreement about three weeks ago to remove the nuclear material from the site, but the removal operation has yet to begin.
Secret Site Linked to Al-Kibar Reactor
The site, which Axios called “Site 99,” is linked to the clandestine nuclear program developed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which centered on the secret Al-Kibar reactor in Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria).
According to Israeli officials, Israel closely monitored the site over the past two years. Two Israeli officials said the Assad regime had stored nuclear material there that was part of the Al-Kibar reactor project.
A US official said the material included “yellowcake,” a powder produced through the processing of uranium ore that can later be processed as part of the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as other remnants and waste associated with the Al-Kibar site.
Although the material at the site cannot be used to make a nuclear weapon, according to the US official, it could be used in the manufacture of what is known as a “dirty bomb,” a conventional explosive device designed to disperse radioactive material and contaminate an area rather than cause a nuclear explosion.
Israel Bombed Entrances to the Site
After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel took measures to prevent access to the material stored at the site.
Israeli officials said the Israeli military bombed the entrances to “Site 99” shortly after the regime fell in order to prevent access to it.
At the same time, Israel and the United States began discussing more than a year ago the best way to deal with the site and the material stored there, according to a US official.
Senior officials from the White House National Security Council and their counterparts in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office took part in discussions concerning the issue.
According to an Israeli official, Israel told the Trump administration that it did not want the nuclear material to remain at the site. Israeli officials said Israel threatened to strike the site again if the material was not removed or if there were signs that Syrian authorities were attempting to access it.
A US official, however, said that despite Israel’s concerns, it had not been on the verge of carrying out another strike on the site.
Washington Chooses a Diplomatic Path
After more than a year of discussions, the United States and Israel concluded that the best way to address the issue was to obtain the Syrian government’s approval to remove the material.
When the Trump administration raised the issue with the Syrian government, Syrian officials said they had not been aware that nuclear material was present at the site.
Axios quoted a US official as saying that only a very limited number of people in the United States, Israel, and Syria knew of the material’s existence.
The official added that Washington had developed a working relationship with Syria’s new government following the fall of the Assad regime, describing the Syrians as “good partners” in handling several issues.
Activity at Site Raises Israeli Concerns
Several weeks ago, Israel, which monitors the site, detected movements in the area that raised suspicions that the new Syrian government was attempting to access the nuclear material stored there.
According to Axios, Israeli officials believed the movements could indicate that the Syrian government was backing away from previous understandings concerning the site.
Israeli concerns were not limited to the Syrian side. The report said Israel was also concerned that Turkey might help the Syrian government gain access to the material at the site.
In response, the Trump administration asked Israel not to take military action and decided to bring the IAEA into the matter.
Agreement to Remove the Material
The US efforts led to an agreement between the IAEA and the Syrian government, signed about three weeks ago, to remove the nuclear material from “Site 99.”
The US administration, the IAEA, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on Axios’s report about the agreement and developments surrounding the site.
According to Axios, work related to “Site 99” remains ongoing, and the nuclear material stored there has not yet been removed.
A US official said Washington believes the parties involved are satisfied with the outcome reached, adding that the US administration hopes the removal process will begin soon and be completed before the end of the year.
What Was the Al-Kibar Operation?
The book *Shadow Strike*, by Israeli journalist Yaakov Katz, reviewed details first published in 2019 about the Mossad’s discovery of the nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor and the White House’s response to the Israeli military move.
The book recounts details of the secret attack on the Al-Kibar area in northeastern Syria, near the Syrian-Iraqi border, to eliminate what it described as a nuclear weapons facility.
The operation began on September 5, 2007, when four F-16 fighter jets and four F-15 fighter jets struck the Al-Kibar area in Deir Ezzor, returning safely to their bases four hours later.
In August 2007, Amos Yadlin, then head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, developed a plan to send elite forces deep into Syrian territory to inspect the nuclear reactor on the ground.
The military unit reached the site and collected samples of soil, plants, and dirt, placing them in plastic containers, according to *Shadow Strike*.
To verify the results, the forces dug into the ground to a specified depth to test for the presence of uranium that would have spread if the regime had built a nuclear reactor.
The mission was carried out within minutes, and the Israeli forces left safely without regime forces noticing or detecting their presence. The Israeli soldiers even used a small vacuum-like device to avoid leaving tracks on the ground that could reveal their presence later.
The samples showed the presence of uranium, according to the Israeli account, indicating that the structure was a nuclear reactor. Israel subsequently decided to launch military strikes to destroy it.
Based on high-resolution images and the field inspection, Amos Yadlin said that “a few aircraft could do the job.”
The operation was called “Operation Orchard” and was carried out by the Israeli Air Force, whose aircraft flew at an extremely low altitude of no more than 200 meters.