How Israel Saved Us From a Nuclear ISIS
The Islamic State (ISIS) with nukes, think of it. Thank G-d for Israel. The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday it carried out the 2007 airstrike in Syria that destroyed what was believed to be a nuclear reactor, lifting the veil of secrecy over one of its most daring and mysterious operations in recent memory.
Although Israel was widely believed to have been behind the Sept. 6, 2007, airstrike, it has never before commented publicly on it.
In a lengthy release, the military revealed that eight F-15 fighter jets carried out the top-secret airstrikes against the facility in the Deir el-Zour region, 450 kilometers (about 300 miles) northeast of Damascus, destroying a site that had been in development for years and was scheduled to go into operation at the end of that year.
Israel's involvement has been one of its most closely held secrets, and it was not immediately clear why Israel decided to go public now. The military would not comment on its reasoning, but the move could be related to the upcoming memoir of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who ordered the strike and has hinted about it for years. It could also be meant as a warning to archenemy Iran, which is deeply involved in Syria's conflict.
"The motivation of our enemies has grown in recent years, but so too the might of the Israeli military," Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday. "Everyone in the Middle East would do well to internalize this equation."