Israel destroyed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor using advanced electronic warfare and airstrikes, invoking the Begin Doctrine of preemptive nuclear non-proliferation.
Key Facts
- Date of strike
- 6 September 2007, just after midnight local time
- Aircraft involved
- Up to 8 IAF aircraft (F-15Is and F-16Is)
- Squadrons
- 69 Squadron (F-15I), 119 and 253 Squadrons (F-16I)
- Weapons used
- AGM-65 Maverick missiles and 500-pound bombs
- Israeli acknowledgment
- Not officially confirmed until 21 March 2018
- IAEA reactor confirmation
- April 2011
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Israeli intelligence identified the Al Kibar site in Syria's Deir ez-Zor region as a suspected undeclared nuclear reactor with military purpose. After consulting with the Bush administration and concluding the US would not act, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert invoked the Begin Doctrine, deciding to strike unilaterally to prevent Syria from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.
On 6 September 2007, Israeli Air Force F-15I and F-16I aircraft struck and destroyed the Al Kibar nuclear site in Syria. IAF electronic warfare systems fed false data to Syrian air defenses throughout the operation. Special forces commandos reportedly designated the target on the ground. As many as eight aircraft participated, with at least four entering Syrian airspace.
Both Israel and Syria kept the operation secret for months, avoiding international outcry. A 2009 IAEA investigation found evidence of uranium and graphite consistent with a nuclear reactor, and in April 2011 the IAEA officially confirmed the site was a nuclear reactor. Israel did not publicly acknowledge the attack until 2018. Following the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, Syria allowed expanded IAEA inspections at related sites.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ehud Olmert (Prime Minister).
Side B
1 belligerent