NK-Syria Nuclear Connection Questionable

摘要

Since news reports surfaced regarding the Sept. 6 incursions of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) into Syrian airspace, numerous theories have emerged regarding the intent and results of the reported raid. The most serious and most questionable allegation is that the purpose of the IAF flights is related to North Korean assistance for a Syrian nuclear weapons program. Damascus has called claims of nuclear cooperation with North Korea "fabricated and groundless accounts that have no value whatsoever," and Pyongyang has dismissed them as "preposterous misinformation."rnSyria's existing nuclear program has been limited to nuclear research activities monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Syria maintains a single, miniature, 30-kilowatt research reactor located near Damascus. Syria has engaged in a number of technical cooperation projects with the IAEA since 1979, including uranium exploration and recovery from phosphates. Financial challenges have hindered the expansion of Syria's uranium extraction efforts.