Spiegel: Syria is Building an Atomic Bomb with Iran's Help

The German weekly Spiegel has reported, citing "security sources," that Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, is constructing underground nuclear facilities aimed at producing atomic weapons. According to the report, Iran is assisting the Syrian government in building these facilities. The Spiegel report, published on Friday, January 9, states that these facilities are being constructed in the inaccessible mountains of western Syria, about two kilometers from the Lebanese border. The French news agency, which published key parts of this report, noted that the facilities are located near the city of Qusair and are underground, connected to power and water sources. The full text of this report is set to be published in Spiegel's Saturday issue. Security sources who spoke with Spiegel added that they obtained their information from "special documents, satellite images, and wiretaps." According to these experts, the purpose of constructing these facilities is to establish a power plant or uranium enrichment center, and the project is referred to by the codename "Zamzam." The report further states that Bashar al-Assad's government has transferred eight thousand nuclear fuel rods that were supposed to be used in the al-Kibar nuclear facility to the new facilities. The al-Kibar nuclear facility was targeted in an airstrike, likely carried out by Israel, in 2007 and was destroyed. Israel has never officially claimed responsibility for this attack. Spiegel's report indicates that Iranian and North Korean experts are believed to be assisting the Assad government in constructing the "Zamzam" nuclear facilities, and the protection of these facilities is provided by Hezbollah forces from Lebanon. Bashar al-Assad's government has been engaged in a war with opposing militia groups for about three years and has lost control of large parts of Syria during this time. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been a main supporter of Bashar al-Assad alongside Russia throughout the years, with evidence of the presence of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria. Previously, in November of this year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the deaths of five nuclear engineers, including one Iranian, in Syria. According to this group, the mentioned scientists were heading to a research center in the suburbs of Damascus when they were attacked and killed. However, later, Hassan Qashqavi, the consular deputy of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, denied this issue, stating that "no Iranian nuclear scientist is present in Syria." The publication of these reports comes at a time when the Islamic Republic has long been accused by some global powers of attempting to build nuclear weapons under the guise of a peaceful nuclear program. Tehran has always denied these claims.