Syria's Nukes

It becomes increasingly clear that we are not paying heed to Ambassador Bolton's prescient warnings. He's been dead to rights all along. This from, of all places, The New York Times (here):

Israeli Raid on Syria Fuels Debate on Weapons MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID E. SANGER , NY Times

American officials are now sorting through what they say are Israel’s private claims that what their jets struck was tied to nuclear weapons development, not merely to missile production. So far, American officials have been extremely cautious about endorsing the Israeli conclusion.

Syria’s efforts to bolster its missile arsenal have been a source of worry for Israel for years, especially given Syria’s track record of arming Hezbollah fighters when they clash with Israeli troops. During the summer of 2006, Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group, fired hundreds of missiles at targets inside Israel from Lebanon, surprising Israeli officials with the sophistication of its arsenal.

And North Korean engineers are long believed to have helped Syria develop a sophisticated class of Scud missiles that have a longer range and are more accurate than earlier versions. According to GlobalSecurity.org, a defense research organization, North Korea has helped Syria develop the Scud-D missile, with a range of about 435 miles.

Whether Syria is actively pursuing a nuclear program has been the subject of fierce debate in Washington for several years. The dispute was at the center of the fight in 2005 over the nomination of John R. Bolton to become ambassador to the United Nations.

At the time, several intelligence officials said they had clashed in 2002 and 2003 with Mr. Bolton, then an under secretary of state, about the extent of Syria’s unconventional weapons programs. According to the officials, Mr. Bolton wanted to include information in a public speech about a Syrian nuclear program that could not be corroborated by intelligence agencies.

In recent interviews, Mr. Bolton has suggested that the Israeli strike may have partly vindicated his view.

Comments

[Sean Osborne]

Pamela,

You're gonna love this.

"This is something that Israel will do again," an Israeli military intelligence official tells Inquirer. "But only if the Americans continue to approach this with eyes wide shut. We would prefer them flying alongside."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,22458976-28737,00.html?from=public_rss