A site believed to be a nuclear facility in western Syria.

In spring 2025, Damascus lifted the dust of two decades of isolation to bring its nuclear file back to the forefront, seemingly awakening from a long slumber with old questions in a new era. The beginnings date back to the early 2000s when Israeli military intelligence estimated that Syria was working on a mysterious strategic project within the Atomic Energy Commission, with indications of cooperation with North Korea. This assessment put Damascus under close scrutiny by Tel Aviv and Washington.

After weeks of debate in both capitals, Israeli fighter jets struck the eastern desert on the night of September 5-6, 2007. Minutes were enough to turn the Al-Kibar building into rubble in an operation likened by Israeli leaders to the 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak reactor, affirming the message: nuclear capabilities threatening Israel’s existence would not be allowed. Damascus described the raid as blatant aggression, while Tel Aviv initially remained silent before officially acknowledging the operation in 2018 and making it a symbolic milestone in its doctrine of preemptive deterrence.

The international investigation was not delayed. In Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began an extensive review of the site. Its 2011 report concluded that Al-Kibar was “likely an undeclared nuclear reactor” and that Damascus should have declared it.

However, the investigation faced Syrian obstruction, as only Al-Kibar was allowed to be visited, while other suspicious sites were denied. With the outbreak of the Syrian crisis the same year, international attention shifted from the nuclear file to humanitarian and security issues, while Al-Kibar remained present in IAEA reports and Security Council files as an unresolved issue.

The most significant shift came with the rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham to power in Damascus, taking steps toward political and economic openness. Initiatives were proposed to return to international organizations, including the IAEA.

The visit of Director General Rafael Grossi in June witnessed the signing of agreements under the initiatives “Atoms for Food” and “Rays of Hope,” confirming that the new Syrian nuclear cooperation would be primarily peaceful and technical.

Currently, the IAEA revealed in a recent report obtained by Reuters the discovery of natural, unenriched uranium particles at a site linked to Al-Kibar, bringing the file back into technical discussion.

Analyses of these particles indicated that the uranium was of human origin; meaning it was produced through chemical processing. However, the report did not conclude what these traces signify, while current Syrian authorities stated they have no information explaining the presence of such particles.

Nevertheless, Damascus allowed the agency to access these sites again in June to take additional samples, a move observers interpreted as a sign of serious cooperation, paving the way for closing the file after completing analyses.

The agency clarified that the process is not yet complete, and evaluating the results will provide an opportunity to clarify outstanding issues and finalize the file.

In the tense regional context, the file has not been absent from Israeli calculations. The investigation results coincided with new Israeli operations inside Syrian territory, some related to uncovering old espionage devices, alongside statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasizing “caution regarding the new Syrian administration.”

Meanwhile, Damascus showed relative openness to indirect communication channels amid regional mediations by the UAE and Turkey to open security and political dialogue between the two sides.

The file today seems closer to closure, but the international community will remain concerned with monitoring Syrian transparency, while Israel will occasionally recall Al-Kibar as part of its narrative on deterrence and preemptive strikes.