A hidden cache of radioactive material tied to Syria’s long-defunct nuclear program is set to be removed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under a quiet agreement brokered by the Trump administration between Syria and Israel, defusing what officials feared could have become a dangerous regional crisis, according to a report by Axios.

The agreement follows months of behind-the-scenes coordination involving American, Israeli, and Syrian officials. Citing US and Israeli sources, Axios reported Monday that the IAEA will retrieve radioactive materials from a secret Syrian facility whose existence had become a growing security concern. The negotiations were led with the involvement of the Trump administration and senior officials in both Damascus and Yerushalayim.

Officials said the diplomatic effort eliminated a potentially explosive dispute that could have triggered military action involving Israel, Syria, and possibly Turkey over control of the sensitive site.

Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria secretly pursued a nuclear program centered on the Al-Kibar reactor. That reactor was destroyed in a 2007 Israeli airstrike, bringing the country’s nuclear ambitions to an abrupt end. Even so, several research facilities and storage locations connected to the project remained intact after the strike.

After Assad’s government collapsed, Syria’s new leadership reached an agreement with the IAEA permitting inspectors to visit Al-Kibar as well as additional sites associated with the country’s former nuclear activities.

Israeli intelligence has spent the past two years monitoring a location known as “Site 99.” According to two Israeli officials cited by Axios, the Assad regime stored radioactive material there that originated from the Al-Kibar program. A US official confirmed that the stockpile included yellowcake—a processed uranium ore concentrate that can eventually be enriched for use in the nuclear fuel cycle—along with other leftover nuclear-related materials.

Although the material could not be used directly to manufacture a nuclear weapon, specialists warned it could be incorporated into a so-called “dirty bomb,” in which conventional explosives disperse radioactive material over a wide area. Following Assad’s downfall, the IDF struck the entrances to “Site 99” to prevent anyone from reaching the facility.

According to a US official, American and Israeli security officials have spent more than a year developing a plan for handling the site. Senior members of the White House National Security Council worked in close coordination with officials in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office throughout the process.

One Israeli official said Israel made it clear to Washington that it would not allow radioactive materials to remain inside Syria. Israeli officials even indicated they were prepared to carry out additional strikes if the stockpile was not removed or if Syrian personnel attempted to gain access to the site. At the same time, a US official stressed that despite Israel’s concerns, an immediate military operation was not viewed as imminent.

In the end, Washington and Yerushalayim concluded that working directly with Syria’s new government offered the safest and most effective solution. When US officials informed Damascus about the hidden nuclear materials, Syrian authorities reportedly said they had no prior knowledge that the stockpile existed.

“Very few people in the US, Israel and Syria were aware of this,” a US official told Axios, adding that Washington has cultivated an effective relationship with post-Assad authorities. “When we work with the Syrians on things – they are good partners.”

Several weeks ago, Israeli surveillance detected activity near “Site 99,” raising fears that Syria was violating its commitments by attempting to recover the radioactive material. Israeli officials also considered the possibility that Turkey was assisting Damascus in efforts to secure the site.

“The Israelis are always kicking the tires on different things to make sure it looks right and it’s good they do that,” a US official remarked.

Rather than support military action, the Trump administration urged Israel to hold off while it arranged for the IAEA to intervene directly. Those diplomatic efforts resulted three weeks ago in a formal agreement between the agency and the Syrian government to remove the radioactive materials safely from the site.

{Matzav.com}