'Syria's nuclear plant linked to 3 other facilities'

Excerpts from IAEA report claim Deir al-Zor site tied to other secret hubs, Syria took extensive measures to hide facilities, 'Al-Hayat' reports.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Syrian nuclear site (photo credit: ISIS)
Syrian nuclear site
(photo credit: ISIS)
The suspected Syrian nuclear facility in Deir al-Zor was linked to three other facilities in the country, London-based Al-Hayat reported quoting excerpts from an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report released Sunday.
The report did not give details on the facilities or on their locations.
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It was also claimed in the report that Syrian authorities' excuse to import large amounts of equipment meant for "nuclear activities" between 2002 and 2006 was that the equipment was to intended for "civil purposes."
Syria undertook extensive measures to hide the suspected nuclear facility at Deir al-Zor so that it would stay out of the public eye, the report added.
Syrian authorities, according to the report, further contended that uranium residue found near the facility came from "Israeli missiles" that tried to destroy it.
The report concluded that the Syrian facility was similar to North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which was used by the North Korean government for nuclear weapons testing before the IAEA forced it to shut down.