Other Names: n/a
Location: Northeastern Region of Dayr-az-Zwar, 145km from the Iraqi border, 11km from At-Tibnah at the Euphrates River
Subordinate To: n/a
Size: 20-25MW
Primary Function: Unclear, alleged plutonium production facility
Description: Based on imagery analysis, American and Israeli intelligence sources claim that the Al-Kibar facility was a gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactor with an approximate output of 20-25 megawatts-thermal, close to reaching operational status before Israel destroyed it in 2007. It is speculated that the facility would have been capable of producing enough plutonium for one weapon every year. [1] [2] The same sources also allege North Korean cooperation in building the installation, including design and engineering assistance, and supply of reactor components.

Historical Overview: On September 9, 2007 the official Syrian News Agency (SANA), accused the Israeli Air Force (IAF) of having infiltrated Syrian airspace in the northeast three days earlier, on September 6. Israeli authorities declined to comment on the incident. [3] Only four days later the Washington Post broke a story citing satellite imagery from Israeli sources claiming that Syria had been building a covert nuclear facility with the intent to produce fissile material for weapons production, and linked the Israeli raid to the said installation. [4]

After learning about the reports in Western media outlets, Syrian authorities rejected these claims as false, and accused Israel of inventing facts about alleged nuclear facilities in Syria to justify future aggression against its neighbor. [5] [6] [7]

On October 1, Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad commented on the incident saying that the IAF had bombed an "unused military building", but later that month further news reports appeared alleging cooperation between Syria and North Korea on a nuclear reactor in the Syrian desert based on the North Korean Yongbyon design. [8] [9] [10] Again these allegations were rejected by Syrian officials. [11]

On October 23, the Institute for Science and International Affairs (ISIS) released commercial satellite imagery from Digital Globe dating from August 10, taken approximately 145 kilometers from the Iraqi border and 11 kilometers north of At-Tibnah in the Dayr-az-Zwar region. [12] The authors of the report, David Albright and Paul Brannan argued that the images likely showed a nuclear reactor under construction in an approximately 47m wide square building 780m from the river. Further on, the report compared the facility to the North Korean Yongbyon nuclear reactor, citing similar dimensions, and concluded that if the imagery showed a reactor, it would be a small gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactor with an output of about 20-25 megawatts-thermal, capable of producing enough plutonium for up to two warheads a year.

Another two ISIS reports followed, where new images showed that the destroyed building had been rapidly razed to the ground by Syria, and that the foundation had been buried, suggesting that the site indeed was hosting a covert nuclear facility. [13] [14] American Senior Intelligence Officials and prominent nonproliferation experts used this quick cleansing of the site as an indication of clandestine Syrian nuclear activities. [15] In January 2008, ISIS again released new satellite imagery showing a larger 60m square building having been built on the ruins of the destroyed alleged nuclear reactor site. [16]

Seven months after the destruction of the Al-Kibar site by the Israeli Air Force in September 2007, the White House released a press statement on April 24, 2008 in which it accused Syria of having built a covert plutonium producing nuclear reactor at the Euphrates River near At-Tibnah with North Korean assistance. [17] At the same time U.S. lawmakers were shown a video by senior intelligence officials including satellite images and still photographs of the alleged nuclear reactor under construction in Syria. According to the presentation, the facility had been a gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactor with an approximate output of 20-25 megawatts-thermal, close to reaching operational status and capable of producing enough material for one weapon every year. The briefing also specified the extent of North Korean cooperation, citing design and engineering assistance, supply of reactor components, and also provided detailed locations of the reactor core, the SNF pond, and the carbon dioxide heat exchanger system. [18] [19] The very next day Syria accused the U.S. of "the fabrication and forging of facts", saying that Syrian air defenses had forced the Israeli airplanes to leave in September 2007, and that there had never been covert nuclear activities on Syrian territory. [21] More recently, Syrian officials have indicated that they will open the site to IAEA inspectors, but no date has been set as of May 2008.[22]

Sources:
[1] "Smoking gun images of Syrian nuke reactor?," CBS News, 24 April 2008,
<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/24/national/main4040170.shtml?
source=RSSattr=HOME_4040170>.
[2] David Albright and Paul Brannan, "The Al Kibar reactor: Extraordinary camouflage, troubling implications," The Institute for Science and International Security, 12 May 2008.
[3] Tim Butcher, "Syria accuses Israeli warplanes of entering territory," The Telegraph, 9 September 2007.
[4] Glenn Kessler, "N. Korea, Syria may be at work on nuclear facility," The Washington Post, 13 September 2007.
[5] Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff, and Amos Harel, "Syria: There are no N. Korea-Syria nuclear facilities whatsoever," Haaretz, 16 September 2007.
[6] "Syria says Israeli air raid aimed at justifying attack," Agence France Presse, 29 September 2007.
[7] "Syria: Israel is spreading false reports in order to justify war," Reuters, 30 September 2007.
[8] "Assad sets conference conditions," BBC, 1 October 2007.
[9] Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper, "An Israeli strike on Syria kindles debate in the U.S.," The New York Times, 10 October 2007.
[10] David E. Sanger and Mark Mazzetti, "Israel struck Syrian nuclear project, analysts say," The New York Times, 14 October 2007.
[11] Tim Connolly, "Ambassador denies nuclear program in Syria," The Dallas Morning News, 18 October 2007.
[12] David Albright and Paul Brannan, "Suspect reactor construction site in eastern Syria: The site of the September 6 Israeli raid?," The Institute for Science and International Security, 23 October 2007.
[13] David Albright, Paul Brannan, and Jacqueline Shire, "Syria update: Suspected Reactor Site dismantled," The Institute for Science and International Security, 25 October 2007.
[14] "Syria update II: Syria buries foundation of suspect reactor site," The Institute for Science and International Security, 26 October 2007.
[15] William Broad and Mark Mazzetti, "Photos show cleansing of suspect Syrian site," The New York Times, 26 October 2007.
[16] "New Construction at Syrian Site," The Institute for Science and International Security, 14 January 2008.
[17] "Statement by the Press Secretary," The White House Office of the Press Secretary, 24 April 2008,
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080424-14.html>.
[18] "Smoking gun images of Syrian nuke reactor?," CBS News, 24
April 2008,<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/24/national/
main4040170.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4040170>.
[19] David Albright and Paul Brannan, "The Al Kibar reactor: Extraordinary camouflage, troubling implications," The Institute for Science and International Security, 12 May 2008.
[20] "Syria rejects U.S. allegations on existence of nuclear activities," Chinaview, 25 April 2008,
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/25/content_8050478.htm>.
[21] Ephraim Asculai, "Inspecting Syria’s Al-Kibar site: A technical note," The Institute for Science and International Security, 12 May 2008.

	Updated June 2008