Axios: Secret U.S.-backed deal to remove nuclear materials from Syrian site

According to the website Axios, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has reached secret understandings with the Syrian government and Israel, paving the way for the removal of nuclear materials stored at a secret site inside Syria, under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The site, known as "Site 99," had been under intensive Israeli surveillance, and it is believed that Bashar al-Assad's regime stored materials related to a nuclear reactor project that Israel destroyed in an airstrike in 2007.

According to a U.S. official, the materials found at the site include "yellowcake," a powder produced from processing uranium ore and usable later in the nuclear fuel cycle, along with waste and leftover materials from the Al-Kibar project.

The official confirmed that the materials are not suitable for making a nuclear weapon but could potentially be used in a dirty bomb—a conventional explosive designed to disperse radioactive material over a targeted area.

According to Israeli officials, Israeli forces bombed the site’s entrances shortly after the fall of the Assad regime, aiming to prevent access to the stored materials.

For over a year, Israel and the United States explored ways to address the site, amid Israeli warnings that they would not accept the continued presence of nuclear materials there, according to Axios.

Washington and Tel Aviv agreed that the best option was securing approval from the Syrian government to remove the materials before the International Atomic Energy Agency intervened to finalize arrangements.

According to sources, Syrian officials informed their American counterparts that they were unaware of the presence of nuclear materials at the site, while a U.S. official said only a very small number of people in the United States, Israel, and Syria knew about them.

The website noted that the understanding faced a test just weeks ago, after Israel detected movements near the site, raising concerns about attempts to access the materials.

Trump administration officials asked Israel not to take any action and pushed toward involving the International Atomic Energy Agency, leading to an agreement between the agency and the Syrian government signed about three weeks ago to remove the nuclear materials from the site.