WMD Redux? Germany’s ‘Der Spiegel’ Claims Syria is Attempting to Build Nuclear Weapons

A new report published by a German news magazine Der Spiegel has published a report claiming that the Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad has a “secret underground Plant” with the specific goal “of developing nuclear weapons.”   The report suggests that unidentified “Western intelligence agencies” has evidence against the Syrian government because they “intercepted” private conversations between an Hezbollah operative and Ibrahim Othman, head of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission:

But the clearest proof that it is a nuclear facility comes from radio traffic recently intercepted by a network of spies. A voice identified as belonging to a high-ranking Hezbollah functionary can be heard referring to the “atomic factory” and mentions Qusayr. The Hezbollah man is clearly familiar with the site. And he frequently provides telephone updates to a particularly important man: Ibrahim Othman, the head of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission.

The Hezbollah functionary mostly uses a codename for the facility: “Zamzam,” a word that almost all Muslims know. According to tradition, Zamzam is the well God created in the desert for Abraham’s wife and their son Ishmael. The well can be found in Mecca and is one of the sites visited by pilgrims making the Hajj. Those who don’t revere Zamzam are not considered to be true Muslims.

The report also stated that Syria under President Bashar al-Assad has been continuing a secretive nuclear weapons program with “8,000 fuel rods” although Syria is a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) since 1969 and an avid proponent of Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East:

According to findings of Western intelligence agencies, however, the situation is much more explosive than previously assumed. Based on documents that SPIEGEL has in its possession, the agencies are convinced that Assad is continuing in his efforts to build the bomb.

Analysts say that the Syrian atomic weapon program has continued in a secret, underground location. According to information they have obtained, approximately 8,000 fuel rods are stored there. Furthermore, a new reactor or an enrichment facility has very likely been built at the site — a development of incalculable geopolitical consequences.

The Der Spiegel’s report is an attempt by the West to convince the World that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government is trying to build “Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s)” a familiar accusation that was used against governments in the Middle East in the past. Michael R. Gordon and Judith Miller’s infamous report accused Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government of creating a “WMD” program in a New York Times article titled ‘Threats and Responses: The Iraqis; U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts’ that influenced public opinion in the U.S. to support the Bush administration’s War agenda when it stated the following:

In the last 14 months, Iraq has sought to buy thousands of specially designed aluminum tubes, which American officials believe were intended as components of centrifuges to enrich uranium. American officials said several efforts to arrange the shipment of the aluminum tubes were blocked or intercepted but declined to say, citing the sensitivity of the intelligence, where they came from or how they were stopped.

The diameter, thickness and other technical specifications of the aluminum tubes had persuaded American intelligence experts that they were meant for Iraq’s nuclear program, officials said, and that the latest attempt to ship the material had taken place in recent months.

The New York Times report lead to the destruction of Iraq where countless lives were lost.

The North Korean’s, Iranians and Hezbollah are now involved in Syria’s nuclear program

How convenient would it be for the U.S. and Israel including some of its staunch European allies that a ‘North Korean’ engineer who originally help build the nuclear reactor Yongbyon in North Korea is now assisting the Assad Government with help from the Iranians and Hezbollah? It is knocking out “two birds with one stone” metaphorically speaking. Der Spiegel says that the intelligence officials’ intercepted conversations confirms that Iran and North Korea are involved in Syria’s Nuclear Weapons program:

Work performed at the site by members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is also mentioned in the intercepted conversations. The Revolutionary Guard is a paramilitary organization under the direct control of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It controls a large part of the Iranian economy and also plays a significant role in Iran’s own nuclear activities. Not all of its missions abroad are cleared with the government of moderate President Hassan Rohani. The Revolutionary Guard is a state within a state.

Experts are also convinced that North Korea is involved in Zamzam as well. Already during the construction of the Kibar facility, Ibrahim Othman worked closely together with Chou Ji Bu, an engineer who built the nuclear reactor Yongbyon in North Korea.

Chou was long thought to have disappeared. Some thought that he had fallen victim to a purge back home. Now, though, Western intelligence experts believe that he went underground in Damascus. According to the theory, Othman never lost contact with his shady acquaintance. And experts believe that the new nuclear facility could never have been built without North Korean know-how. The workmanship exhibited by the fuel rods likewise hints at North Korean involvement.

The Agence France Presse (AFP) also reported Der Spiegel’s findings “Citing information made available by unidentified intelligence sources, Spiegel said the plant was in an inaccessible mountain region in the west of the war-ravaged country, 2 kms from the Lebanese border.” The AFP report also thanked the unidentified source which confirms Der Spiegel’s report as conclusive:

It is deep underground, near the town of Qusair and has access to electricity and water supplies, the magazine said in a pre-released version of the story released ahead of Saturday’s publication. It said it had had access to “exclusive documents,” satellite photographs and intercepted conversations thanks to intelligence sources.

Western experts suspect, based on the documents, that a reactor or an enrichment plant could be the aim of the project codenamed “Zamzam,” Spiegel said. The regime has transferred 8,000 fuel rods to the plant that had been planned for a facility at Al-Kibar, it added, referring to a facility bombed in 2007 in a suspected Israeli strike.

The terrorist attack in Paris, France in recent days with the threat of ISIS and Al Qaeda emerging in Europe, the U.S. and Israel would give the Main-Stream Media (MSM) in the West an advantage over its adversaries including the Syrian government. The question we should ask is how will the New York Times use the new information provided by Der Spiegel’s new report? Will 2015 repeat what happened in 2003 with the Invasion of Iraq due to the Bush administration and the MSM’s war propaganda? Syria’s alleged nuclear program will be the MSM’s new talking point for this year. Syria will be back in the spotlight. Washington will reassess Der Spegel’s report because it is a national security issue, but this time with North Korea, Iran and Hezbollah in the picture. Western Propaganda gets better all the time.


About the author:

Timothy Alexander Guzman is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on political, economic, media and historical spheres. He has been published in Global Research, The Progressive Mind, European Union Examiner, News Beacon Ireland, WhatReallyHappened.com, EIN News and a number of other alternative news sites. He is a graduate of Hunter College in New York City.

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]