The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to remove nuclear material from a clandestine Syrian site following an agreement made by the US, Syria, and Israel, Axios reported on Monday, citing Israeli and US officials.
The Trump administration and IAEA scrambled to reach the agreement that would secure the material and prevent a potential escalation between Israel, Syria, and Turkey, said Axios, adding that the site in question is sensitive.
The agreement validates US President Donald Trump’s approach towards Syria and shows that his administration is utilizing close relations with Syria to neutralize a possible crisis, according to the report.
Effort was kept secret
An exchange of threats and diplomatic correspondence occured throughout months until a resolution was reached a few weeks ago, said Axios. The efforts had since been kept secret and unreported.
According to Axios, the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had developed the secret nuclear program around the Al-Kibar reactor, a plutonium production facility built with the help of North Korea in the Dayr Az Zawr region of northeastern Syria.
Following Assad’s fall, the IAEA signed an agreement with the country’s newly installed government to visit the reactor and several other nuclear sites, the report said.
Axios said Israel has been closely monitoring Syria’s nuclear facilities, particularly a site called “Site 99,” which US officials claim held residue from al-Kibar.
Discussions underway for over a year
The US and Israel have been discussing for more than a year the best way to deal with the site, Axios cited a US official as saying. An Israeli official said that Jerusalem made it clear it wouldn’t allow nuclear material to remain at the site, with Israel even threatening to bomb the facility again if the material was not removed or if Syria showed signs it was trying to access it.
The US and Israel eventually agreed that the best approach would be to “buy in” from the Syrian government to remove the material, said Axios. However, Syrian officials denied having knowledge of nuclear material at the site, sources said.
A US official said that “very few people in the US, Israel, and Syria were aware of this” and added that the new Syrian government was a “good partner” in the newly established relationship, the report said.