IAEA begins digging at suspected Syrian nuclear site as Damascus vows safeguards

Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog have commenced excavation at a Deir el-Zour facility believed to be part of the undeclared nuclear program run under former President Bashar Assad. The IAEA director-general said the work is extensive and that another site containing nuclear material has been found, though details were not released. Syria’s interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa and foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani have assured the agency of full cooperation, stating that any material will remain in Syrian custody but be placed under international safeguards.

The agency stressed the importance of securing a few tons of material that could be diverted for illicit use. Syrian officials claim technical evaluations show the material poses no hazard. The excavation follows earlier IAEA sampling that detected uranium traces in 2025 and follows the 2007 Israeli airstrike that first exposed the reactor built by North Korea.