US Brokers Secret IAEA Deal to Remove Nuclear Material from Clandestine Syrian Site 99

Site 99, a suspected storage location for al-Kibar reactor residue including yellowcake that Israel assessed could fuel a dirty bomb rather than a weapon, has been the subject of a US-brokered agreement under which the IAEA will remove the material, according to Israeli and US officials cited by Axios 1. Israeli officials said the IDF struck the site's entrances after the Assad regime's fall to block access, and that Israel warned it would strike again if the material was not removed or if Syria showed signs of trying to access it 1. The IAEA and the Syrian government signed the removal agreement three weeks ago after Israeli monitoring reportedly detected activity suggesting Damascus was moving to access the material, with Israeli and US officials also citing concern that Turkey was assisting; the Trump administration then asked Israel to hold off and brought in the IAEA, capping more than a year of US-Israeli discussions during which Syrian officials said they had not known the material was stored there 1. US officials said the material has not yet been removed, that the operation is ongoing with removal expected to begin soon and conclude before year's end, and that "everybody is happy with the result," while the White House, IAEA and Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment 1. Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post reports both relay the Axios account without independent sourcing 23.