VIENNA, June 6 (UPI) -- It's likely that a Syrian facility destroyed in 2007 by an Israeli attack was the site of a nuclear reactor that should've been declared, the IAEA said Monday.
Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the board of governors Monday that there were lingering concerns about Syria's nuclear ambitions.
"The agency has come to the conclusion that it is very likely that the building destroyed at the Dair Alzour site was a nuclear reactor which should have been declared to the agency," he said in his statement. "This is the best assessment of the agency, based on all the information in its possession."
Israeli jets bombed the Dair Alzour facility near al-Kibar in Syria in 2007. Intelligence officials said the site was a nuclear reactor of North Korean design under construction since 2001.
Amano said it was "deeply regrettable" the facility was destroyed by the Israelis before the IAEA had a chance to investigate the site thoroughly.
IAEA inspectors found traces of uranium at the site that had been undisclosed by Damascus.
The Syrian government was given ample time by the agency to cooperate fully concerning the Dair Alzour site, but did not do so," he added. "Nevertheless, we had obtained enough information to draw a conclusion."
