Syria officially admits for the first time that it possesses nuclear material: "It will remain in our possession"
The Syrian Foreign Minister stated: "It is our right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." Overnight, Israel struck deep inside Syria, dozens of kilometers from the Turkish border.
After the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission announced about a week ago that it was working in coordination with the IAEA to dismantle the previous regime's nuclear program, thereby implicitly admitting that it possessed nuclear material, today (Tuesday) came the official confirmation. Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani admitted that the regime possesses nuclear material and that it intends to keep the material in its possession in cooperation with the IAEA.
As part of this admission, the Foreign Minister stated:
"The nuclear material will remain in Syria's possession, subject to IAEA guarantees. We emphasize Syria's right to use nuclear energy for civilian needs and peaceful purposes. We will work to provide the necessary conditions for handling these materials and storing them safely."
The statement comes against the backdrop of a mysterious strike last night on a runway in Syria, an action that the US claimed was carried out by Israel. Israel has not yet officially responded.
During the night, fighter jets bombed the runway at the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Idlib province, northwestern Syria. The site, located about 70 kilometers as the crow flies from Turkey, is considered a strategic point connecting different areas of the country. While reports in Syria attribute the action to Israel, Israel has not accepted responsibility for the event and claims the country is not involved.
An Israeli official told Fox News today that sensitive intelligence information was shared with the Americans at the highest levels. According to him, President Ahmad al-Sharra understands that he cannot behave like the previous regime.
US Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack issued a statement publicly accusing Israel of carrying out the strike:
"We are deeply concerned that the Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur base constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not contribute to regional stability. The Al-Sharra government has not adopted an aggressive posture and does not operate proxy forces. In fact, it has repeatedly expressed a preference for de-escalating tensions with Israel."
Barrack added that the United States believes that restraint and dialogue are the more useful path, and called on the parties to prioritize substantive discourse over military incidents.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry reacted sharply to the events and condemned the strike. An official statement said that Syria views the action as unjustified aggression and a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. It was further stated that this is a dangerous escalation that threatens regional security.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharra addressed the possibility of reaching an agreement with Israel last month in an interview with Al Jazeera:
"We are avoiding confrontation with Israel and we have no interest in it. We are working to achieve a security agreement with Israel, with the participation of a group of countries. If the security agreement with Israel succeeds, it will pave the way for a comprehensive peace — without giving up Syria's rights in the occupied Golan."
