[MUST READ] So, What the Hell Did the Israelis Bomb in Syria?

by Robert Koehler on February 6, 2008

in North Korea

In The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh writes a fascinating piece on Israel’s Sept 6, 2007 bombing of something in Syria.

Joshua of One Free Korea has some issues with the story, but it makes a fascinating read none the less.

I’m not even going to attempt any punditry with this one — all I know with any degree of certainty is on that night, Israeli warplanes dropped bombs somewhere in Syria, and something — God only knows what — probably went “boom.”

{ 3 trackbacks }

Left Flank » Why Facts Are Inadequate
February 9, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Israeli PM Admits IDF Hit Syrian Nuke Site Built with NK Help | The Marmot's Hole
April 1, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Israeli PM Admits IDF Hit Syrian Nuke Site Built with NK Help: Report | The Marmot's Hole
April 1, 2008 at 6:46 pm

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 John Thacker February 7, 2008 at 4:01 am

Ah, Sy Hersh. Always a fascinating read, but takes a bunch of liberties with the truth too. His reporting on Lebanon has been particularly bad, particularly in the context of Syria. His “sources” have often turned out to be Syrian mouthpieces, and he’s made some hilariously inaccurate claims about the allegiance of various groups in Lebanon.

2 Joseph February 7, 2008 at 5:22 am

I just came back from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing with Amb. Chris Hill giving his witness testimony.

When asked about the NK-Syria connection, he simply stated that anything pertaining to that subject is classified.

Additionally, when he stated that he has a very real concern for human rights and is working actively for refugees, I almost bursted out laughter like Ambassador Bolton’s wife during his confirmation hearing.

3 WangKon936 February 7, 2008 at 6:02 am

1. What Israel bombed was probably not a nuclear facility.

2. Because it wasn’t a nuclear facility, Syria was pretty quiet about it. If they complain too loud, then it’s because they lost something that was actually very significant. If they stay quiet, they take attention away from themselves but still have other people guessing.

Seriously, it’s kinda cool to have everyone not sure if you have nukes or not. Makes them second guess themselves without having to put your neck out in embarassment.

4 Richardson February 7, 2008 at 9:04 am

The story seems like a summary of what’s already been reported/discussed/blogged. The part concerning David Albright, however, was particularly entertaining.

5 alec February 7, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Wangkon –

Not having read the article yet but having read other stuff, I thought it made more sense that Syria kept quiet because it *was* a nuclear something or other, and NK oddly did not keep quiet about it possibly because they’d been helping build whatever kind of nuclear facility it was, if it was. Makes more sense than the other way to me.

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