Published: · Region: Middle East · Category: intelligence

Syria’s Hidden Nuclear Stockpile Exposes New Non-Proliferation Risk

Damascus has acknowledged holding “tons” of previously undeclared nuclear material, now under international safeguards but still on Syrian soil. The move opens a rare window into a legacy program and raises hard questions for non‑proliferation regimes and regional rivals about what else may be buried in the region’s wars.

Syria’s admission that it holds tons of previously undeclared nuclear material has turned an internal technical issue into a regional security question that nuclear diplomats can no longer ignore. At a joint appearance in Damascus on 18 August, Syria’s foreign minister and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed that inspectors recently identified large quantities of nuclear material at an undeclared site in the country. Grossi described the find as “tons of nuclear materials that could be put to bad use,” while Syrian officials stressed that the stockpile will remain under Syrian control but subject to IAEA safeguards and monitoring. According to Syrian statements, Damascus voluntarily notified…

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