In perhaps the ultimate example of the compartmentalization of US foreign policy, officials lashed Syria for not allowing the IAEA access to Deir al-Zor, accusing them of using the massive ongoing civil war against US-backed rebels as an “excuse.”
Deir al-Zor was a site bombed by Israeli warplanes in 2007. The US has since claimed it was a nuclear reactor, and while Syria allowed the IAEA one visit, they have expressed annoyance at the repeated demands for return access since they didn’t really find anything.
Not that they necessarily could at any rate. The city of Deir al-Zor fell to rebels weeks ago, and with most of the regime’s troops occupied in contesting control over Aleppo and Damascus they can’t exactly go re-conquer a province just to get IAEA inspectors in.
Former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei was extremely critical of the Israeli attack on Deir al-Zor, saying that destroying the site before telling them of their suspicions made finding corroborating evidence all but impossible.
Shut up, US. Your "intel" is worthless.
Yes Ditz…I'm, to say the least, just as–if not more–'dumbfounded' by this 'article' and the "facts" put forward as you seem to be…
So…let me get this strait:
According to this 'article' (meaning the one written here by Jason Ditz) the almighty "rebels" allegedly have "control" over a 'military site' in "Deir al-Zor" the IAEA wants to "inspect", but the Syrian Government refuses to grant access claiming the site is simply a conventional "military site"…
Oh no…I didn't "read" this particular 'article' carefully enough the first time… According to Ditz…the "rebels" have control over the "Deir al-Zor" military site and the Syrian Government simply: "can’t exactly go re-conquer a province just to get IAEA inspectors in" (direct quote from this 'article' here)…
So…in (Ditz's) "conclusion": the 'IAEA', along with the 'US', must be complete 'morons' because they missed the "Reuters" article published by the "Huffington Post" on 08/14/2012, proclaiming "Rebels say they control at least half of Deir al-Zor city" (direct quote from the actual 'source' 'article' linked here in this 'article').
Wow Ditz…"they" (meaning the 'US' and the 'IAEA') must be complete fools and must have really 'dropped the ball' here on this one–for several reasons…
Was an ETA of Assad's nukes and/or potential "breakout capability" provided by anyone?