Chain reaction

Either the Syrian building bombed by the Israeli Air Force last September was a nuclear reactor or it wasn't, and all the rhetoric in the isn't going to change the facts. Israel says it was, and photographs appear to show that it bore a striking resemblance to a nuclear reactor built and put into operation by North Korea. But Syria insists it wasn't a reactor, and says the United States will be "embarrassed" when the truth comes out, according to CNN. The White House said Thursday that the reactor at Dayr az Zawr in eastern Syria was only weeks or months from operating, and that it wasn't designed for power generation but to build nuclear weapons. "This thing was good to go, so we had to assume they were ready to throw the switch," said a senior U.S. intelligence officer who briefed reporters about the site Thursday afternoon, CNN said. The White House issued a statement suggesting North Korea assisted Syria's nuclear activities. "We have long been seriously concerned about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and its proliferation activities," the statement said. "North Korea's clandestine nuclear cooperation with Syria is a dangerous manifestation of those activities." But North Korea, which has refused to disclose what countries received nuclear knowhow from Pyongyan, said Syria and North Korea have never worked together on nuclear technology.