The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has revealed that a secret nuclear reactor built during the rule of toppled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was configured to produce fissile material for possible use in nuclear weapons.
The reactor was nearly completed in 2007 before it was destroyed by Israeli jets. Grossi stated on Monday that the facility was of a type that could quickly produce fissile material usable in nuclear weapons.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency recently visited two sites, one in Deir ez-Zor and a second in an undisclosed location identified by Syrian authorities. Along with the reactor, the watchdog found a fuel fabrication plant where nuclear fuel was manufactured, as well as a location where nuclear fuel, uranium scrap, and waste were stored.