Damascus: While Israel’s recent acceptance of having struck the Syrian nuclear project ten years ago is still creating a sensation, information on a new nuclear facility in Syria has come to the fore. With the help of an article published three years ago and satellite pictures, the ‘Institute for Science and International Security’ has claimed that an underground nuclear facility is operational in the ‘Qusayr’ area of Syria.
The ‘Institute for Science and International Security’ has published a report by the name, ‘Is the facility at Qusayr, Syria an underground nuclear facility?’. An article published by a German daily, ‘Der Spiegel’ has been considered as the basis for this claim. The article had expressed the possibility of having a nuclear facility in the ‘Qusayr’ area of Syria.
To explore this possibility, the ‘Institute for Science and International Security’ had obtained satellite pictures of the area likely to contain the nuclear facility. On the basis of these pictures, it has been claimed that ‘Qusayr’ has an operational underground nuclear facility. Also, the report demands that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should examine the area.
According to the report published by the ‘Institute for Science and International Security, the construction of the nuclear facility in Qusayr commenced in 2009. It can be seen from the pictures that special efforts were taken to keep the project hidden while continuing the underground construction. It is also claimed that Syria has kept eight thousand fuel rods at this site. However, the claim has not been corroborated in the report. Simultaneously, it has been warned that there is a possibility of natural uranium being present in Syria.
It is said that the underground area containing the nuclear facility has a ‘Guard House’ and five buildings which can be seen in the pictures. Electricity supply has also been facilitated to the site. The report also states that this underground nuclear site may have received support from North Korea and Iran. It mentions that the facility is situated near the Lebanon border and could be of serious concern.
Syria’s Assad Regime had already denied claims of such an underground nuclear facility.
(Courtesy: www.newscast-pratyaksha.com)
