[NYTr] ABC Claims CIA Helped Israel Targeting in Syria

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[Be suspicious of this one. It's attributed to an unidentified "senior
US official," and seems to be justifying the Israeli raid on Syria
after the fact, and whatever the US role was, should it come out,
There's some nonsense about about CIA "belief" that whatever was
destroyed was of "North Korean design" -- whatever that means. And
the US supposedly wasn't convinced enough to destroy the complex
for Israel. This report has all the earmarkings of legend trying
to hide something else, or lay the groundwork for more lies and
wars. -NYTr]


Reuters via Boston Globe - Oct 19, 2007
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/10/19/israel_mole_took_photos_of_syrian_target_report

Israel "mole" took photos of Syrian target: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel had obtained detailed pictures of a
Syrian complex from an apparent mole, which supported an Israeli belief
the facility was nuclear and led to an air strike on it last month, ABC
News reported on Friday.

ABC, citing a senior U.S. official, said the person had provided
several pictures of the complex from the ground, and Israel showed the
images to the CIA. The U.S. spy agency helped pinpoint "drop points" to
assist in potential targeting, ABC said.

Israel urged the United States to destroy the complex, but Washington
hesitated because no fissionable material was found that would prove
the site was nuclear, ABC said.

The network quoted the official as saying the facility was of North
Korean design and that Syria must have had "human" help from North
Korea.

The White House and the CIA declined to comment on the report, in
keeping with a strict U.S. refusal to discuss the issue.

Israel has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on Syria on
September 6 but it has not described the target. Syria has said only
that it was a building under construction.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the targeted site was
modeled on a facility North Korea used for stockpiling atomic bomb
fuel. Syria has one declared, small research nuclear reactor under
safeguard of the International Atomic Energy Agency and has denied
hiding any nuclear activity.

The complex struck by Israel was in a remote area about 100 miles from
the Iraqi border and along the Euphrates River, ABC said.

It said the official described the pictures as showing a large
cylindrical structure, still under construction, with thick reinforced
walls. There was also a secondary structure and a pump station with
trucks around it.

"It was unmistakable what it was going to be. No doubt in my mind," ABC
quoted the official as saying.

The United States had begun to consider ways to destroy the complex,
such as a special forces raid using helicopters, ABC said. But it said
the White House sent word the United States would not carry out a raid
and urged Israel not to do it either. 

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