Syria's Atomic Energy Commission said Tuesday it will host an IAEA delegation in the coming days for a joint statement on 'significant progress' in the nuclear field. The announcement follows secret US-Israel-Syria understandings, reported by N12, for IAEA extraction of yellowcake uranium from a site destroyed in 2007. Syria stated it continues transparent cooperation with the IAEA, US, and friendly states.
The Syrian Atomic Energy Commission announced in the early hours of Tuesday that Damascus will host an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation in the coming days, with a joint statement highlighting 'significant progress' in Syria's nuclear cooperation. This latest development adds a planned joint declaration to the framework that emerged Monday night, when the Syrian commission first confirmed its cooperation with the IAEA for removing nuclear material—the first official Syrian acknowledgment of the secret understandings reported by N12 earlier that evening.
The thread of reports began Monday evening, when journalist Barak Ravid (N12) disclosed secret US-Israel-Syria understandings for IAEA extraction of yellowcake uranium from a clandestine Syrian site destroyed in the 2007 Israeli strike on Al-Kibar. Within hours, Axios reported a US-IAEA deal to remove the material, ynet reported IAEA preparations, and further details from senior US officials indicated the site, known as Site 99, contained material usable for a 'dirty bomb' and that Israel threatened to bomb it if not removed. The Syrian Atomic Energy Commission then confirmed its cooperation at 22:41 Jerusalem time Monday, and now—early Tuesday—has added the announcement of an IAEA visit and joint statement.
The IAEA's involvement in Syria comes amid its broader regional nuclear verification mission, which The Zioneer has covered in the context of Iran (including the Islamabad Agreement framework) and civilian nuclear talks with Saudi Arabia. The yellowcake uranium at issue is the remnant of the Assad-era nuclear program at Al-Kibar, destroyed by Israel in 2007 to prevent weaponization.
Several questions remain open: the exact timeline for the IAEA delegation's arrival, the specific location or locations from which the material will be extracted, and whether the planned joint statement will include measurable milestones for removal and destruction of the yellowcake. The extent of Turkish or other regional involvement, hinted at in earlier reports, also remains unconfirmed.
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