Syria has acknowledged for the first time that it possesses nuclear material, with the country’s foreign minister declaring that the material will remain under Syrian control while being subject to international oversight.
The Syrian foreign minister addressed the status of the nuclear material held by Damascus, saying it would remain in the country under guarantees and supervision from the International Atomic Energy Agency. He said Syria would provide the necessary conditions for its safe storage while maintaining its right to pursue nuclear energy for civilian and peaceful purposes.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of an airstrike attributed to Israel at the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria’s Idlib province. The strike reportedly damaged a runway and abandoned storage facilities, with no casualties reported.
According to Syrian sources, the attack took place one day after a Turkish military delegation visited the facility to examine plans for rehabilitating the airport and potentially transforming it into a joint Syrian-Turkish military base.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strike, describing it as “unjustified aggression and a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty.”
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack sharply criticized the attack, calling it an “unnecessary escalation.” Barrack said the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has demonstrated an interest in reducing tensions and urged the parties to pursue dialogue rather than further military action.
Israel, however, suggested that the strike was connected to highly sensitive intelligence. A senior Israeli official told Fox News that “highly sensitive intelligence was provided to the United States in advance.”
The Israeli official further indicated that al-Sharaa could not be permitted to operate through proxy forces in the manner of Syria’s previous regime, while raising the possibility that the Syrian leader himself may not have been aware of the activity that prompted the Israeli action.
