Something’s really amiss with the Syrian reactor situation. The US knew about North Korean-Syrian cooperation since 2001, was keeping a watchful eye on the construction of the alleged reactor since 2005, and shares the information with the Israelis, who last September send fighters in the middle of the night to bomb it to bits.
And then the US doesn’t say anything for eight months, sharing the intelligence with Congress and the public just now. It doesn’t add up.
Where to from here? The IAEA could get involved to verify the accuracy of the intelligence, but the Syrians will likely either stall for time or be aided by a less-than-aggressive approach by ElBaradei. To the US and Israel, the case is closed, really. The intelligence came up and both decided to take action, though it’s not clear as to what level of dialogue took place regarding the decision to attack the site.
Nuclear diplomacy in the Middle East. It’s rough out there.
