September 21, 2007

U.S. & Israel Shared Intel On Syrian Nuke Target

North Korea was connected to a suspected nuclear facility in Syria that the Israeli military bombed earlier this month, and the Israeli government alerted President Bush before the strike, according to a story in the Washington Post this morning.

U.S. officials were "deeply troubled" by the idea that the North Koreans were helping a country affiliated with Iran, a potential nuclear threat, the Post continues, but "the White House opted against an immediate response because of concerns it would undermine long-running negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear program."

"Ultimately, however, the United States is believed to have provided Israel with some corroboration of the original intelligence before Israel proceeded with the raid, which hit the Syrian facility in the dead of night to minimize possible casualties," sources told the Post.

Israel had kept mum on the matter for weeks, but Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu offered a tentative confirmation of the strike earlier this week.

"I was privy to the matter from the outset and I gave my backing," he told an Israeli TV station Wednesday night -- reportedly to the consternation of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. When asked yesterday about Netanyahu's statement, Bush refused to comment.

Posted at 8:54 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Israel, Middle East, North Korea, Syria
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