Exclusive: The U.S. arranged a secret deal over a hidden nuclear site in Syria

Exclusive: The U.S. arranged a secret deal over a hidden nuclear site in Syria

According to Israeli and U.S. officials, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon remove nuclear materials stored at a secret site in Syria; an action carried out after the Trump administration reached understandings with Syria and Israel.

Why it matters: The Trump administration and the International Atomic Energy Agency moved quickly to reach a diplomatic agreement to secure these materials and prevent an escalation of tensions among Israel, Syria and, possibly, even Turkey over this sensitive site.

U.S. officials say the episode confirms President Trump’s approach to Syria and shows how the United States used its close ties with the new Syrian government to neutralize a potential crisis.

This striking, behind-the-scenes struggle between threat and diplomacy over the secret site continued for months and finally reached a result a few weeks ago; but it has not been reported so far.

Background review: The Assad government had developed a secret nuclear program centered on the secret Al-Kibar reactor.

After Israel bombed that reactor in 2007, Syria’s nuclear program was largely destroyed. However, several research and development facilities and storage locations remained, which were largely inactive.

After the fall of the Assad government, the International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement with the new Syrian government that allowed the agency to visit the Al-Kibar reactor and several other sites associated with Syria’s past nuclear activities.

Charles Lister, a resident researcher at the Middle East Institute, said the new Syrian government is eager to resolve sensitive issues inherited from the Assad government, including cases related to nuclear and chemical weapons—issues that could undermine the country’s efforts to rebuild its standing internationally.

Behind the scenes: One of the facilities that Israel has closely monitored over the past two years is called “Site 99.”

Based on what two Israeli officials said, the Assad government stored nuclear materials at this location, which was part of the Al-Kibar nuclear reactor project.

A U.S. official said the materials included yellowcake—powder produced from uranium ore that can later be further processed and, ultimately, as part of the nuclear fuel cycle, enriched.

The U.S. official said the Assad government also stored other remnants and “leftover materials” from Al-Kibar at “Site 99.”

Although the materials in this site are not usable for building a nuclear weapon, they can be used in a dirty bomb—that is, a conventional explosive device that disperses radioactive materials into the environment and contaminates the area, rather than creating a nuclear explosion.

Israeli officials said the Israeli army bombarded the entrances to the site shortly after the fall of the Assad government to prevent access.

More details: A U.S. official said Israel and the U.S. have been discussing the best way to address “Site 99” for more than a year.

Senior officials of the White House National Security Council and the corresponding institution in the office of the Israeli prime minister have worked closely on this issue.

According to an Israeli official, Israel had made clear to the Trump administration that it would not tolerate nuclear materials remaining at this site.

Israeli officials said Israel had even threatened to bomb the site again if nuclear materials were not removed or if signs of Syria’s efforts to access these materials were observed.

A U.S. official said that despite Israeli concerns, they were never close to bombing the site.

In the end, according to a U.S. official, the U.S. and Israel agreed that the best approach was to obtain the “consent” of the Syrian government to remove the materials.

When the Trump administration raised the matter with the Syrian government, Syrian officials said they were not aware of nuclear materials being present at the site.

A U.S. official said: “Very few people in the United States, Israel and Syria knew about this.”

The official said the U.S. has established a constructive relationship with the government after Assad. He added: “When we cooperate with the Syrians on different issues, they are good partners.”

The episode: A few weeks ago, Israelis monitoring the site identified movements in the area that led them to believe the new Syrian government had backtracked on the understandings and was trying to gain access to nuclear materials—an issue confirmed by Israeli and U.S. officials.

The Israelis were even worried that Turkey would help the Syrian government obtain nuclear materials.

A U.S. official said: “The Israelis always look into different things to make sure everything seems right and it’s good that they do that.”

The Trump administration asked Israel not to take any action and brought in the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Outcome: Three weeks ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Syrian government signed an agreement to remove nuclear materials from the site.

The White House, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the office of the Israeli prime minister declined to comment on the matter.

What to watch: U.S. officials say operations related to “Site 99” are still ongoing and the materials have not yet been removed from the site.

The U.S. official said: “We think everyone is satisfied with the outcome. We hope we can begin the process of removing the materials soon and complete it before the end of the year.”