Sept. 6, Israeli warplanes bombed a Syrian complex that may have been the site for a nuclear reactor. Both governments have been close-mouthed about the attack, Syria denies that the site was a nuclear complex — Israel refuses to say anything, and other governments that might know what was there have been silent. If it was a reactor, it was a secret facility, not disclosed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). There is also speculation that North Korea may have been involved, raising questions about Pyongyang's pledge to not proliferate nuclear technology and knowhow.
Apart from acknowledging the attack, Tel Aviv has kept quiet. Damascus first denied the attack and has since admitted and denounced it. It maintains that the site was not a nuclear facility and even took journalists to a location — which was later discovered to be a different site. Now, studies of satellite imagery show both a construction site that has existed for at least four years — and one that has been completely razed in recent weeks. Whatever was there is gone.
The old pictures prove that there were reasons to have questions about the site, but experts say the photos do not provide answers. The buildings resemble nuclear facilities, but they are not complete enough to say with certainty. What is damning, however, is the speed with which the location has been dismantled. That scuppers any attempt by the international atomic watchdog to ascertain what was there, and whether Syria had been hiding a nuclear site.