IAEA Prepares To Remove Nuclear Material From Syria’s Site 99 After US-Brokered Understanding

The International Atomic Energy Agency is preparing to remove nuclear material from a clandestine Syrian storage site known as “Site 99,” following a US-brokered understanding with the Syrian and ‘Israeli’ governments, according to Axios.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency is preparing to remove nuclear material from a clandestine Syrian storage site known as “Site 99””

Roya News

Axios, citing ‘Israeli’ and US officials, said the material includes yellowcake and other residues and leftovers linked to the former Assad regime’s Al-Kibar nuclear reactor project, which ‘Israel’ destroyed in a 2007 airstrike.

Al-Jazeera Net

The stockpile cannot be used to build a nuclear weapon, officials told Axios, but it could potentially be employed in a “dirty bomb” that disperses radioactive material.

The Trump administration urged ‘Israel’ to refrain from military action and involved the IAEA, and an agreement between the agency and the Syrian government to remove the material was signed about three weeks ago, Axios reported.

A US official told Axios, “We think everybody is happy with the result,” and said removal would begin soon and end “before the end of the year.”

Axios reported that ‘Israel’ had closely monitored Site 99 for about two years and, shortly after the Assad regime’s collapse in December 2024, ‘Israeli’ forces bombed the site’s entrances to block access.

The same Axios account said ‘Israeli’ officials later warned they would not tolerate the material remaining in place and threatened further strikes if it was not removed or if Syria appeared to be trying to reach it.

Roya News

The negotiations, involving the U.S., Syria, Israel, and Turkey, took place over months and concluded several weeks ago, the Washington Examiner said, describing the effort as a plan for the IAEA to safely remove the nuclear material.

The Washington Examiner also said urgency increased several weeks ago when Israel observed movement at the site, sparking concerns that Syria could be trying to access the material.

In the Axios reporting relayed by Roya News, a US official said, “Very few people in the U.S., Israel and Syria were aware of this,” and added the new Syrian authorities have proved “good partners.”

The deal is framed as preventing escalation between Israel, Syria, and possibly Turkey, with the Jerusalem Post saying the Trump administration and IAEA scrambled to reach an agreement that would secure the material and prevent a potential escalation.

“prevent a potential escalation between Israel, Syria, and Turkey”

The Jerusalem Post

The Jerusalem Post also reported that the arrangement follows months of threats and diplomatic correspondence, and that the efforts had been kept secret and unreported until Axios published the account.

Ynetnews, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, said the Trump administration and the IAEA worked to secure a diplomatic agreement over the material “in an effort to prevent a potential escalation involving Israel, Syria and possibly Turkey.”

Ynetnews added that work at Site 99 remains ongoing and the nuclear material has not yet been removed, even as a U.S. official told Axios that “we think everybody is happy with the result.”

Roya News further said the material has not yet been extracted and that US officials described the episode as validation of the administration’s approach to engaging Syria’s post-Assad leadership to defuse a potential crisis that could have drawn in ‘Israel’, Syria and possibly Turkey.