Israhell seen digging big hole - Are they looking for the missing 6 million?

[yankeedoodle]

Secretive Israeli nuclear facility undergoes major project
https://apnews.com/article/secret-israel-nuclear-construction-ecd8b6f3ffb329aa1fc566b9f9336038

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A secretive Israeli nuclear facility at the center of the nation's undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.

A dig about the size of a soccer field and likely several stories deep now sits just meters (yards) from the aging reactor at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona. The facility is already home to decades-old underground laboratories that reprocess the reactor's spent rods to obtain weapons-grade plutonium for Israel's nuclear bomb program.

What the construction is for, however, remains unclear. The Israeli government did not respond to detailed questions from the AP about the work. Under its policy of nuclear ambiguity, Israel neither confirms nor denies having atomic weapons. It is among just four countries that have never joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms.

The construction comes as Israel — under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — maintains its scathing criticism of Iran's nuclear program, which remains under the watch of United Nations inspectors unlike its own. That has renewed calls among experts for Israel to publicly declare details of its program.

What "the Israeli government is doing at this secret nuclear weapons plant is something for the Israeli government to come clean about," said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

With French assistance, Israel began secretly building the nuclear site in the late 1950s in empty desert near Dimona, a city some 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Jerusalem. It hid the military purpose of the site for years from America, now Israel's chief ally, even referring to it as a textile factory.

With plutonium from Dimona, Israel is widely believed to have become one of only nine nuclear-armed countries in the world. Given the secrecy surrounding its program, it remains unclear how many weapons it possesses. Analysts estimate Israel has material for at least 80 bombs. Those weapons likely could be delivered by land-based ballistic missiles, fighter jets or submarines.

For decades, the Dimona facility's layout has remained the same. However, last week, the International Panel on Fissile Materials at Princeton University noted it had seen "significant new construction" at the site via commercially available satellite photos, though few details could be made out.

Satellite images captured Monday by Planet Labs Inc. after a request from the AP provide the clearest view yet of the activity. Just southwest of the reactor, workers have dug a hole some 150 meters (165 yards) long and 60 meters (65 yards) wide. Tailings from the dig can be seen next to the site. A trench some 330 meters (360 yards) runs near the dig.

Some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) west of the reactor, boxes are stacked in two rectangular holes that appear to have concrete bases. Tailings from the dig can be seen nearby. Similar concrete pads are often used to entomb nuclear waste.

Other images from Planet Labs suggest the dig near the reactor began in early 2019 and has progressed slowly since then.

Analysts who spoke to the AP offered several suggestions about what could be happening there.

The center's heavy-water reactor has been operational since the 1960s, far longer than most reactors of the same era. That raises both effectiveness and safety questions. In 2004, Israeli soldiers even began handing out iodine pills in Dimona in case of a radioactive leak from the facility. Iodine helps block the body from absorbing radiation.

Those safety concerns could see authorities decommission or otherwise retrofit the reactor, analysts say.

"I believe that the Israeli government is concerned to preserve and maintain the nation's current nuclear capabilities," said Avner Cohen, a professor of nonproliferation studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who has written extensively on Dimona.

"If indeed the Dimona reactor is getting closer to decommissioned, as I believe it is, one would expect Israel to make sure that certain functions of the reactor, which are still indispensable, will be fully replaced."

Kimball, of the Arms Control Association, suggested Israel may want to produce more tritium, a relatively faster-decaying radioactive byproduct used to boost the explosive yield of some nuclear warheads. It also could want fresh plutonium "to replace or extend the life of warheads already in the Israeli nuclear arsenal," he added.

Israel built its nuclear weapons as it faced several wars with its Arab neighbors since its founding in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust. An atomic weapons program, even undeclared, provided it an edge to deter enemies.

As Peres, who led the nuclear program and later served as prime minister and president of Israel, said in 1998: "We have built a nuclear option, not in order to have a Hiroshima, but to have an Oslo," referring both to the first U.S. nuclear bomb drop in World War II and Israel's efforts to reach a peace deal with Palestinians.

But Israel's strategy of opacity also draws criticism from opponents. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seized on the work at Dimona this week as his country prepared to limit access by the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency amid tensions with the West over its collapsing 2015 nuclear deal.

"Any talk about concern about Iran's nuclear program is absolute nonsense," Zarif told Iranian state television's English-language arm Press TV. "Let's be clear on that: It's hypocrisy."

The timing of the Dimona construction surprised Valerie Lincy, executive director of the Washington-based Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.

"I think the most puzzling thing is ... you have a country that is very aware of the power of satellite imagery and particularly the way proliferation targets are monitored using that imagery," Lincy said. "In Israel, you have one known nuclear target for monitoring, which is the Dimona reactor. So you would think that anything that they wanted to keep under the radar would be kept under the radar."

In the 1960s, Israel used its claims about adversary Egypt's missile and nuclear efforts to divert attention from its work at Dimona — and may choose to do the same with Iran now.

"If you're Israel and you are going to have to undertake a major construction project at Dimona that will draw attention, that's probably the time that you would scream the most about the Iranians," said Jeffrey Lewis, a professor also teaching nonproliferation issues at Middlebury.

[abduLMaria]

They're building Missile Launch gear.

Part of the "be a good neighbor" program the Israeli Terrorists started in 1935.

I guess "good neighbor" has a different definition in Hebrew.

[yankeedoodle]

Secretive Israeli nuclear facility undergoes major project
https://israelpalestinenews.org/secretive-israeli-nuclear-facility-undergoes-major-project/

A long-secretive Israeli nuclear facility that gave birth to its undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, according to satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press.

By Jon Gambrell, reposted from AP

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A secretive Israeli nuclear facility at the center of the nation's undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.

A dig about the size of a soccer field and likely several stories deep now sits just meters (yards) from the aging reactor at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona. The facility is already home to decades-old underground laboratories that reprocess the reactor's spent rods to obtain weapons-grade plutonium for Israel's nuclear bomb program.

What the construction is for, however, remains unclear. The Israeli government did not respond to detailed questions from the AP about the work. Under its policy of nuclear ambiguity, Israel neither confirms nor denies having atomic weapons. It is among just four countries that have never joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms.

The construction comes as Israel — under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — maintains its scathing criticism of Iran's nuclear program, which remains under the watch of United Nations inspectors unlike its own. That has renewed calls among experts for Israel to publicly declare details of its program.

Deceived America
With French assistance, Israel began secretly building the nuclear site in the late 1950s in empty desert near Dimona, a city some 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Jerusalem. It hid the military purpose of the site for years from America, now Israel's chief ally, even referring to it as a textile factory.

With plutonium from Dimona, Israel is widely believed to have become one of only nine nuclear-armed countries in the world. Given the secrecy surrounding its program, it remains unclear how many weapons it possesses. Analysts estimate Israel has material for at least 80 bombs. Those weapons likely could be delivered by land-based ballistic missiles, fighter jets or submarines.

For decades, the Dimona facility's layout has remained the same. However, last week, the International Panel on Fissile Materials at Princeton University noted it had seen "significant new construction" at the site via commercially available satellite photos, though few details could be made out.

Satellite images captured Monday by Planet Labs Inc. after a request from the AP provide the clearest view yet of the activity. Just southwest of the reactor, workers have dug a hole some 150 meters (165 yards) long and 60 meters (65 yards) wide. Tailings from the dig can be seen next to the site. A trench some 330 meters (360 yards) runs near the dig.

Some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) west of the reactor, boxes are stacked in two rectangular holes that appear to have concrete bases. Tailings from the dig can be seen nearby. Similar concrete pads are often used to entomb nuclear waste.

Other images from Planet Labs suggest the dig near the reactor began in early 2019 and has progressed slowly since then.

  Feb. 22, 2021 satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. shows construction at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona, Israel. 

    Feb. 22, 2021 satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. shows construction near the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona, Israel. 

    Sept. 29, 1971 spy satellite photograph later declassified by the U.S. government, shows what now is known as the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona, Israel. 

Analysts who spoke to the AP offered several suggestions about what could be happening there.

The center's heavy-water reactor has been operational since the 1960s, far longer than most reactors of the same era. That raises both effectiveness and safety questions. In 2004, Israeli soldiers even began handing out iodine pills in Dimona in case of a radioactive leak from the facility. Iodine helps block the body from absorbing radiation.

Those safety concerns could see authorities decommission or otherwise retrofit the reactor, analysts say.

"I believe that the Israeli government is concerned to preserve and maintain the nation's current nuclear capabilities," said Avner Cohen, a professor of nonproliferation studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who has written extensively on Dimona.

"If indeed the Dimona reactor is getting closer to decommissioned, as I believe it is, one would expect Israel to make sure that certain functions of the reactor, which are still indispensable, will be fully replaced."

Purpose may be to boost explosive yield of its nuclear warheads
Kimball, of the Arms Control Association, suggested Israel may want to produce more tritium, a relatively faster-decaying radioactive byproduct used to boost the explosive yield of some nuclear warheads. It also could want fresh plutonium "to replace or extend the life of warheads already in the Israeli nuclear arsenal," he added.

Israel built its nuclear weapons as it faced several wars with its Arab neighbors since its founding in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust. An atomic weapons program, even undeclared, provided it an edge to deter enemies.

[Editor's note: AP repeats the Israeli narrative that omits essential information. The fact is that Israel was founded through ethnically cleansing much of the indigenous population and illegally confiscating their homes and property; many of these people became impoverished refugees in surrounding countries, and Israel has initiated most of its wars. Israel was able to build its nuclear program through the assistance of an Israel partisan in the US who illegally diverted nuclear material to Israel.]

As Peres, who led the nuclear program and later served as prime minister and president of Israel, said in 1998: "We have built a nuclear option, not in order to have a Hiroshima, but to have an Oslo," referring both to the first U.S. nuclear bomb drop in World War II and Israel's efforts to reach a peace deal with Palestinians. [Editor's note: This is one of Israel's popular propaganda talking points, but in reality it is Israel that has been uninterested in peace.]

But Israel's strategy of opacity also draws criticism from opponents. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seized on the work at Dimona this week as his country prepared to limit access by the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency amid tensions with the West over its collapsing 2015 nuclear deal.

"Any talk about concern about Iran's nuclear program is absolute nonsense," Zarif told Iranian state television's English-language arm Press TV. "Let's be clear on that: It's hypocrisy."

The timing of the Dimona construction surprised Valerie Lincy, executive director of the Washington-based Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.

"I think the most puzzling thing is ... you have a country that is very aware of the power of satellite imagery and particularly the way proliferation targets are monitored using that imagery," Lincy said. "In Israel, you have one known nuclear target for monitoring, which is the Dimona reactor. So you would think that anything that they wanted to keep under the radar would be kept under the radar."

Complaints about Iran may be to distract attention
In the 1960s, Israel used its claims about adversary Egypt's missile and nuclear efforts to divert attention from its work at Dimona — and may choose to do the same with Iran now.

"If you're Israel and you are going to have to undertake a major construction project at Dimona that will draw attention, that's probably the time that you would scream the most about the Iranians," said Jeffrey Lewis, a professor also teaching nonproliferation issues at Middlebury.

[yankeedoodle]

Is Israel Building a New Reactor at Dimona?
https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2021/03/04/is-israel-building-a-new-reactor-at-dimona/

Israel has mounted a massive new construction project at its Dimona nuclear reactor facility.  A US NGO has obtained photos of the excavation work as did AP. Avner Cohen, Israel's pre-eminent expert on the country's nuclear weapons program, has featured even higher resolution versions of the images in a Facebook post.  He also offers some interesting theories about the purpose of the new project.  Here is my translation:

   High resolution image showing new construction at Dimona nuclear reactor site (Planet Labs)   

This is a high resolution (50-75cm) image of the massive excavation works at the facility [Dimona].  This image was captured on February 22nd by the Planet Labs satellite and commissioned by AP.

I sat today on Zoom with the best satellite image interpreter we have here at the Center for Non-Proliferation Studies.  My former student has a terrific eye for reading satellite images. He examined this one and compared it to tens of previous images of the reactor, all of which were taken by Planet Labs from the beginning of 2018...

In his opinion, the project began earlier than what has been reported thus far, apparently around the summer of 2018.  It began with building a long tunnel and taking down the inner fence at the facility, which surrounded the reactor.  He immediately recognized the tunnel because he has seen precisely the same type at sites in North Korea, which is his field of expertise.  He identified no other tunnels at the compound.  Why would Israel dig tunnels at the nuclear site?  Certainly not [to protect from] the climate or the Negev heat.  In his opinion, the purpose of a tunnel of this type is to conceal the identification of workers and equipment at the excavation site.

The mound of dirt on the left, the height of a large multi-story building, was visible from the start of the construction.  The giant pit, whose depth is hard to measure from the images, is the size of a soccer field (160 meters long and 60 meters wide).  The digging, in his opinion, is going slowly.  It's very possible, he adds, that it's done mainly or solely at night, when satellite images cannot be captured.  Besides the central mountain of dirt there are also other piles of dirt.  It's quite possible that this dirt will be poured on top of the building when its construction is completed.

The satellite images of the nuclear plant reveal that it has hardly changed from when the original plan was completed there near the end of the 1960s or beginning of the 1970s.  There has been only one substantial building added to the complex from when it was founded till today...Therefore, the current excavation is a substantial one, which appears to be the first attempt after 50 years leading to a modernization of the nuclear facility's infrastructure.

It's not possible to determine from the image what the large hole is meant to house.  It's only possible to guess.  Possibly, this is the beginning of the building of a new modern reactor, which would replace the original French one, which is close to retirement.  Or perhaps Israel decided to build a particle accelerator for the production of tritium.  Or maybe something else entirely?

My own feeling, without a bit of knowledge of the real circumstances, is that it involves the modernization of what already exists–a commitment to modernize existing capabilities which have reached retirement age–and not the expansion or enhancement of nuclear activity.