More than 100 United Nations weapons inspectors spent Wednesday searching for prohibited weapons of mass destruction in various locations and facilities across Iraq. The inspectors visited a military complex, a gas laboratory, a grain silo, and several other undisclosed locations. In another development, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein stated that Washington would be surprised after the ongoing inspections and would find that, according to him, America's lies about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have been exposed. Saddam Hussein claims that the U.S. and Israel, along with Britain, seek war with Iraq in order to dominate the Middle East and its resources. In other news, Syria rejected Israeli claims of hiding chemical and biological weapons. A statement released by the Syrian Foreign Ministry called Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's claims 'ridiculous.' Syria argues that Israel makes such claims to divert global attention from its own weapons of mass destruction to other issues.
Over 100 UN Weapons Inspectors Continue Searches in Iraq - 2002-12-26
Over 100 UN weapons inspectors are actively searching for banned weapons in Iraq, while Saddam Hussein claims that the U.S. will be surprised by the findings. He accuses the U.S. and Israel of seeking war to control the region. Syria has dismissed Israeli allegations of chemical weapon concealment as a diversion.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Over 100 UN weapons inspectors conducted searches in Iraq for prohibited weapons, while Saddam Hussein claimed the U.S. would be surprised by the findings, asserting that U.S. accusations were false. He accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking war to dominate the Middle East.
- The inspections occurred at various military and civilian sites in Iraq.
- Saddam Hussein publicly challenged U.S. claims about Iraq's weapons capabilities.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
In the early 2000s, the U.S. accused Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction, leading to international inspections and rising tensions that preceded the Iraq War.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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