Syrians hiding nuclear progress, U.S. says

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. officials said Syria is shirking international scrutiny by razing the site of a Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike on an alleged nuclear facility.

U.S. and foreign officials told The Washington Post that the site near the Euphrates River in Syria’s eastern desert was characteristic of a significant nuclear reactor similar to North Korean nuclear facilities.

The site being razed isn't the same site that the Syrians displayed to support its claims the Israelis bombed an abandoned military facility, the report claimed.

Syria has operated a small-scale nuclear reactor for decades for scientific research and U.S. officials said they are divided over how substantial the nuclear threat from Syria is.

Syria has cooperated with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency on its nuclear research facility.

Weapons expert estimate that it would take Syria years to complete the facility. Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear policy expert at the Center for American Progress, said in the Post, “This is an extremely demanding technology and I don’t think Syria has the technical, engineering or financial base to really support such a reactor.”

Critics reportedly wonder if the U.S. and Israel are sidestepping the IAEA as experience with the nuclear watchdog suggests any punitive measures against Syria would be insignificant, the Post report said. The bombing could also be a message to Iran, some told the Post.