00:16A secret Syrian nuclear site, a threatened Israeli airstrike, and Washington racing against
00:24the clock to prevent another Middle East crisis.
00:27A previously undisclosed standoff over a hidden Syrian facility has reportedly brought Israel,
00:35Syria, Turkey, and the United States into a dangerous confrontation.
00:40According to a new report, Israel threatened to bomb a secret Syrian nuclear site for a
00:47second time, while the Trump administration rushed to negotiate a deal before another
00:52strike could happen.
00:53The facility is reportedly known as Site-99, and what was allegedly sitting inside could
01:01explain why the stakes were so high.
01:04According to a U.S. official, Site-99 contained yellow cake and leftover nuclear material connected
01:12to Syria's former Al-Khabar reactor program.
01:15Israel destroyed the Al-Khabar reactor in 2007.
01:20But here's the critical point.
01:22The material reportedly cannot be used to produce a nuclear explosion.
01:27However, officials say it could potentially be used in a dirty bomb, a conventional explosive
01:34designed to spread radioactive material and contaminate an area.
01:38That made the site a serious security concern.
01:42According to the report, Israel bombed the entrances to the facility shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
01:49Israel then reportedly warned Washington that it would strike again if the nuclear material remained at the site,
01:56or if Syrian authorities attempted to access it.
01:59Then came the extraordinary revelation.
02:02When the Trump administration reportedly raised the issue with officials in Damascus,
02:08Syrian authorities allegedly said they did not know the nuclear material was there.
02:13One U.S. official described the situation as extraordinarily secret,
02:17saying very few people in the United States, Israel, and Syria knew about the material.
02:24For months, Washington and Jerusalem reportedly engaged in quiet back-channel diplomacy to prevent the situation from escalating.
02:33But then, several weeks ago, Israeli monitors reportedly detected movement around the site.
02:40Israeli officials became concerned that Syria might be preparing to access the material.
02:45Israel, and another country entered the picture—Turkey.
02:49There were reportedly concerns in Israel that Turkey could be helping Damascus gain access to the facility.
02:56That raised the possibility of a dangerous chain reaction—Syria attempting to reach the material,
03:03Turkey potentially assisting, and Israel preparing to strike again.
03:07Washington then reportedly stepped in.
03:10The White House told Israel to stand down and brought in the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, to find
03:19a diplomatic solution.
03:21Three weeks ago, according to the report, the IAEA reached an agreement with Syria to remove the material.
03:28But there is one major problem.
03:31The material has not been removed yet.
03:34Officials are reportedly hoping the process can be completed before the end of the year.
03:39That means the issue is not completely resolved.
03:43For more than a year, according to the report, potentially dangerous nuclear material was sitting inside a secret facility,
03:51while the government that inherited control of Syria allegedly did not even know it was there.
03:57And now, one hidden bunker has become the center of a delicate four-way security crisis involving Israel, Syria, Turkey,
04:06and the United States.
04:08Israel wants the material gone.
04:10Washington wants to prevent another Israeli strike.
04:14Syria says it was unaware of what was inside.
04:17And the IAEA is now racing to remove the material before the situation explodes.
04:23Because this isn't about a nuclear bomb sitting underground.
04:27It's about what could happen if radioactive material falls into the wrong hands,
04:32and how quickly one secret site could trigger another regional crisis.
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