Global InformationOperation Outside the Box information
| Orchard/Bustan | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict | |
 Before and after photo of target released by the U.S. government | |
| Operational scope | Strategic bombing run |
| Planned by | Israeli Air Force[1] |
| Objective | Destroy the Syrian nuclear site, located in the Deir ez-Zor region 35°42′28″N 39°50′01″E / 35.70778°N 39.83361°E |
| Date | 6 September 2007 |
| Executed by | F-15I Ra'am fighters F-16I Sufa fighters 1 ELINT aircraft 1 helicopter Shaldag special forces |
| Outcome | Successful destruction of the site |
| Casualties | 10 North Korean nuclear scientists allegedly killed[2] |
Operation Outside the Box[3][4][5][6] (Hebrew: מבצע מחוץ לקופסה,[7] Mivtza MiHutz LaKufsa), also known as Operation Orchard (Hebrew: מבצע בוסתן, Mivtza Bustan), was an Israeli airstrike on a suspected nuclear reactor,[8] referred to as the Al Kibar site (also referred to in IAEA documents as Dair Alzour), in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria,[9] which occurred just after midnight (local time) on 6 September 2007. The Israeli and U.S. governments did not announce the secret raids for seven months.[10] The White House and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) subsequently confirmed that American intelligence had also indicated the site was a nuclear facility with a military purpose, though Syria denies this.[11][12] A 2009 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) investigation reported evidence of uranium and graphite and concluded that the site bore features resembling an undeclared nuclear reactor. IAEA was initially unable to confirm or deny the nature of the site because, according to IAEA, Syria failed to provide necessary cooperation with the IAEA investigation.[13][14] Syria has disputed these claims.[15] Nearly four years later, in April 2011 during the Syrian Civil War, the IAEA officially confirmed that the site was a nuclear reactor.[8] Israel did not acknowledge the attack until 2018.[16]
The attack reportedly followed Israeli top-level consultations with the Bush administration.[17] After realizing that the US was not willing to bomb the site after being told so by U.S. President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to adhere to the 1981 Begin Doctrine and unilaterally strike to prevent a Syrian nuclear weapons capability, despite serious concerns about Syrian retaliation. In stark contrast to the doctrine's prior usage against Iraq, the airstrike against Syria did not elicit international outcry. A main reason is that Israel maintained total and complete silence regarding the attack, and Syria covered up its activities at the site and did not cooperate fully with the IAEA. The international silence may have been a tacit recognition of the inevitability of preemptive attacks on "clandestine nuclear programs in their early stages." If true, the Begin Doctrine has undoubtedly played a role in shaping this global perception.[18]
According to official government confirmation on 21 March 2018, the raid was carried out by Israeli Air Force (IAF) 69 Squadron F-15Is,[19] and 119 Squadron and 253 Squadron F-16Is,[20] and an ELINT aircraft; as many as eight aircraft participated and at least four of these crossed into Syrian airspace.[21] The fighters were equipped with AGM-65 Maverick missiles, 500-pound (230 kg) bombs, and external fuel tanks.[5][22] One report stated that a team of elite Israeli Shaldag special-forces commandos arrived at the site the day before so that they could highlight the target with laser designators,[19] while a later report identified Sayeret Matkal special-forces commandos as involved.[23]
The Israeli attack used sophisticated electronic warfare (EW) capabilities,[24] as IAF's EW systems took over Syria's air defense systems, feeding them a false sky-picture[24] for the entire period of time that the Israeli fighter jets needed to cross Syria, bomb their target and return.[25]
On 6 March 2017, the Kibar nuclear site was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces – a U.S.-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab militia fighters – from a retreating ISIL force in northern Deir Ezzor province.
- ^ "Ending a decade of silence, Israel confirms it blew up Assad's nuclear reactor". The Times of Israel.
- ^ Tak Kumakura (28 April 2008). "North Koreans May Have Died in Israel Attack on Syria, NHK Says". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
- ^ "Inside Israel's Secret Raid on Syria's Nuclear Reactor". Politico.
- ^ "More than a decade on, Israel admits to strike on suspected Syrian nuclear reactor". 21 March 2018.
- ^ a b Beaumont, Peter (16 September 2007). "Was Israeli raid a dry run for attack on Iran?". The Observer/The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
- ^ Stephens, Bret (18 September 2007). "Osirak II". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
- ^ אזולאי, יובל (21 March 2018). "הותר לפרסום: כך השמידה ישראל את הכור הגרעיני בסוריה". Globes.
- ^ a b IAEA: Syria tried to build nuclear reactor Associated Press Latest Update: 04.28.11, 18:10
- ^ "Officials say Israel raid on Syria triggered by arms fears". Reuters. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2007.
- ^ Leonard S. Spector and Avner Cohen, Israel's Airstrike on Syria's Reactor: Implications for the Nonproliferation Regime, Arms Control Today, Vol. 38, No. 6 (July/August 2008), pp. 15–21, Arms Control Association
- ^ "NKorea-Syria nuclear work had military aims: White House". Associated French Press. 24 April 2008. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ "Syria denies US allegations over nuclear reactor". Syria Today. May 2008. ISSN 1812-8637. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ Heinrich, Mark (19 February 2009). "IAEA finds graphite, further uranium at Syria site". Reuters. Vienna. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AFPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "AFP: No graphite found by IAEA at suspect site: Syria". Vienna. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RT18was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
bushwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Country Profiles – Israel Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), updated May 2014
- ^ a b Mahnaimi, Uzi (16 September 2007). "Israelis 'blew apart Syrian nuclear cache'". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ "Ending a decade of silence, Israel confirms it blew up Assad's nuclear reactor". Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Hersh, Seymour. "A Strike in the Dark Archived 11 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine", The New Yorker, 11 February 2008. Retrieved on 7 February 2008.
- ^ "Turkish FM slams Israel over fuel tanks". The Jerusalem Post. 10 September 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
- ^ Mahnaimi, Uzi (23 September 2007). "Snatched: Israeli commandos 'nuclear' raid". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
- ^ a b Israel Shows Electronic Prowess 26 November 2007, David A. Fulghum and Robert Wall, Aviation Week & Space Technology
- ^ "And They Struck Them With Blindness" By Yaakov Katz, 29 September 2010, Jerusalem Post