Nuclear Stockpile Bombed?

I don't, as a rule, quote entire news articles, but this will be an exception:

"From The Sunday Times
September 16, 2007
Israelis 'blew apart Syrian nuclear cache'
Secret raid on Korean shipment"

That's it, as of 10:20 am, Central time USA, September 16, 2007. Intriguing.

Update: Noon, Central time USA, September, 16, 2007.

This raid seems to be the one made by the Israeli Air Force ten days ago. The target was a set of underground bunkers.

Both the Israeli and Syrian governments are being quiet about what actually happened, but the story is that North Koreans were there, that equipment and/or material from the North Korean nuclear program. And that a network run by AQ Khan might be involved. Mr. Khan created of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, and has at best been the victim of a regrettable string of coincidences.

The Sunday Times (UK) says that the head of Mossad, Meir Dagan, had "evidence that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear device from North Korea." A North Korean nuclear bomb on a North Korean Scud-C missile would be bad news for Israel.

Although I suppose Syria should be commended for being a loyal customer.

" 'This was supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel,' the Sunday Times quoted an Israeli source as saying. 'We've known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can't live with a nuclear warhead.' "
(Jerusalem Post (September 17, 2007))

I suppose that very intelligent heads might caution Israel that a better approach to hostile neighbors with nuclear weapons would be dialog and peace education efforts .... to weave a world-wide web of Arabs, Jews and others who want to build a new Middle East "based on coexistence and neighborly relations."

That sound like a very nice goal.

Someday, when more countries have decided to stop helping religious fanatics who want to kill Jews and other infidels, I think that a program of dialog and peace education would be a good idea.

Until that day, my sympathy is with those who take firm, practical steps to at least keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of religious nut jobs.