2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

ISRAEL AT RISK
Instead, Syria removed tons
of earth from the site and
sought to hide any radioactive
remains from international
inspectors. Despite Syria’s
refusal to cooperate, the IAEA
discovered processed uranium
particles while on a restricted
visit to this reactor site as
well as to a reactor facility
in Damascus.
Beyond Syria’s nuclear
program, Damascus has
assembled a vast missile
arsenal and what the U.S.
intelligence community estimates is the largest stockpile of biological and chemical weapons
in the Arab world. The quantity and quality of weapons that Syria possesses make Damascus’
adamant refusal to cooperate with the IAEA particularly worrisome, especially as the civil war
continues and the question of who will control these weapons remains unanswered.
Proliferation Prompts Other Arab States to Pursue Nuclear Programs
In addition to directly endangering Israel, nuclear pursuits by Iran and Syria will likely spur
nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East. Many Arab states have already indicated their
intention to begin “peaceful” nuclear programs—potentially a first step toward a nuclear weapons
capability. The proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would endanger U.S. allies
and interests—including Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and the free flow of oil from the Persian
Gulf. A Middle East full of nuclear-armed states would not only threaten Israel, but also increase
the prospect of cataclysmic war throughout the region and beyond—particularly if such weapons
were to fall into the hands of terrorist groups. This scenario would not only raise the risk of
nuclear conflict, but would spell the end of the NPT and any theoretical prospect for elimination
of nuclear weapons.
Syria refuses to answer IAEA questions about its secret nuclear facility
reportedly destroyed by Israel.
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