Shortly after midnight on September 6, 2007, bombs destroyed Syria’s almost-finished al-Kibar nuclear reactor. The international community was never able to account for the facility’s equipment or Syria’s nuclear materials.
No one claimed responsibility at the time of the attack, but the world suspected Israel.
Sure enough, just last week – more than a decade later – Israel fessed up.
Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said, “Israel will never accept an existential threat against it. That was the message in 2007, and that is the message to our enemies in both the near and distant future.”
The Strike Thwarted ISIS Nuclear Capabilities
Emphasizing Eisenkot’s resolve, the terror group ISIS overran Syria in 2011. From 2014 until 2017, ISIS maintained control of the area once housing the reactor. Many believe Israel’s strike saved the world from a nuclear ISIS, which could have spread its destruction worldwide by cooking up dirty bombs.
“When faced with today’s reality, the decision to destroy the reactor is one of the best decisions made in Israel over the past 70 years,” said Lt. Gen. Amikam Norkin, commander of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). “The principles according to which the IAF prepared for the attack are also the IAF’s principles today.”
The North Korea Connection
Important questions remain unanswered. Who has been hiding those missing al-Kibar nuclear materials all this time? Why did Israel claim responsibility for the attack 10 years later?
Many eyes have turned toward North Korea.
According to the Jewish Policy Center, “Post-attack analysis highlighted North Korea’s connection to al-Kibar.” They noted troubling similarities between the Syrian facility and North Korea’s reactor in Yongbyon.
Hours after Israel acknowledged the attack, a Washington-based think tank inserted alarming speculation into the conversation. The Institute for Science and International Security released a report urging an investigation into a 2015 article in Germany’s weekly news magazine Der Spiegel.
Der Spiegel’s editorial claimed that North Korea helped Syria hide the equipment and materials from al-Kibar. Further, North Korea may be helping Syria construct an underground nuclear reactor that intelligence officials believe they discovered.
The report went on to suggest an Iranian connection to this new nuclear base.
Life in a Horrible Neighborhood
Israelis daily face conditions that many in the U.S. can’t imagine. These include constant threats of terrorism, radical Islam, and impending war on all borders. Now, several enemies either have or soon could have nuclear weapons capable of raining devastation on any Israeli city.
In fact, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an interview with an American radio host, acknowledged that Israelis live in a “horrible neighborhood.”
Despite the chaos that surrounds Israel, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network recently ranked it the 11th happiest country in the world for the fifth year in a row. The survey asks citizens of each country questions related to their quality of life.
“Israel … is beating most of the Western countries,” said Netanyahu. The poll attributed the high ranking to several factors, including that Russian immigrants in Israel live a happier and better life than before. Additionally, answers revealed that Israel’s youth “have a real confidence in the future.”
While Israel lagged the top 3 happiest countries of Norway, Switzerland and Canada, it outperformed the United States, which placed 18th in the study, released last week and officially called the World Happiness Report.
By comparison, the Palestinian territories didn’t crack the top 100, ranking only 104th on the happiness scale. Syria was the least happy place in the Middle East, checking in at 150 on the list of 156 countries worldwide.
How You Can Pray
There is no doubt that Israel is surrounded by countries striving to annihilate her. Please pray for peace and protection for the Jewish people, who strive to maintain a brave and positive attitude.
Praise God for:
- Giving Israel advanced intelligence capabilities.
- Keeping the Jewish people in Israel safe in their “unsafe neighborhood.”
Pray for:
- God’s protection of the men, women and children who make Israel home.
- Wisdom for the leaders of Israel and her allies in the wake of efforts by Iran, Syria and North Korea to place nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists.
Right now, Jerusalem is on high alert as Passover begins. The two recent terror attacks in Meyo Dotan and Jerusalem’s Old City – which claimed the lives of three Israelis – along with Hamas’ just-announced plan for a six-week, 100,000-person demonstration on the Gaza Strip border, have defense forces across the country and Border Police out in force. As always, pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, but especially during this time of heightened concern.
How Your Gifts Help
- Your gift to Jewish Voice today helps support efforts for Arab-Israeli reconciliation.
- Throughout Israel, your gift to Jewish Voice helps bring aid to Jewish people in need, including vision and dental care to vulnerable Holocaust survivors.
As a token of our appreciation for your gift of $40 or more today, we’ll send you the special study guide package for Jonathan Bernis’ newest book, Unlocking the Prophetic Mysteries of Israel. This includes the study guide book, plus the companion 7-disc DVD set. In this set, you’ll move to the next level with study material not found in the book, including why End Times’ prophecy can only be understood in the context of Israel and the Jewish people.
