北朝鮮

時事通信の翻訳は一部ぼかして端折ってある。

原文によるとイスラエルの攻撃で、北朝鮮人（複数）の死者が出ている模様。

北朝鮮がシリアに提供した問題の各関連物質は、プルトニウムか濃縮ウランと推定される。他にシリアまで持ち込んで核開発に意味があり、イスラエルが空爆までして取り除き、オリジンまで同定できる物質は見当たらない。これは私の個人的な推定で当るか外れるかは保証の限りではない。

>Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid

Uzi Mahnaimi and Sarah Baxter

Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raidUzi Mahnaimi and Sarah Baxter
Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem.

The attack was launched with American approval on September 6 after Washington was shown evidence the material was nuclear related, the well-placed sources say.

They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Israeli special forces had been gathering intelligence for several months in Syria, according to Israeli sources. They located the nuclear material at a compound near Dayr az-Zwar in the north.

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Snatched: Israeli commandos ‘nuclear’ raid
Evidence that North Korean personnel were at the site is said to have been shared with President George W Bush over the summer. A senior American source said the administration sought proof of nuclear-related activities before giving the attack its blessing.

Diplomats in North Korea and China believe a number of North Koreans were killed in the strike, based on reports reaching Asian governments about conversations between Chinese and North Korean officials.

Syrian officials flew to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, last week, reinforcing the view that the two nations were coordinating their response.