Last update - 17:12 03/11/2007 
Report: Syria gov't kept nuke facility secret from army to avoid leaks
By Haaretz Service
The veil of secrecy in Damascus surrounding Syria's alleged nuclear facility left it vulnerable to aerial attack, Aviation Week magazine on Saturday quoted an Israeli official as saying.
According to foreign media reports, the facility was the target of an Israel Air Force strike deep inside Syrian territory in early September.
"The target was so highly classified in Damascus that the military wasn't briefed and, therefore, air defenses were unprepared," Aviation Week reported, attributing the information to an Israeli official.
The U.S. publication said Israel used an array of sophisticated technological tools ranging from satellites to anti-electronic warfare to plan and carry out the alleged bombing of the complex in northern Syria, said to be built with the aid of North Korea.
A previous report by ABC claimed Israel had obtained detailed pictures of the Syrian complex from an apparent mole.
ABC, citing a senior U.S. official, said the person had provided several pictures of the complex from the ground, and Israel showed the images to the CIA. The U.S. spy agency helped pinpoint "drop points" to assist in potential targeting, ABC said.
Israel urged the United States to destroy the complex, but Washington hesitated because no fissionable material was found that would prove the site was nuclear, ABC said.
Report: Syria gov't kept nuke facility secret from army to avoid leaks - Haaretz - Israel News