HT: Miguel
ISRAEL is preparing to shut its nuclear reactor at Dimona, where it makes nuclear weapons, because of the site's vulnerability in a war with Iran.
The decision, taken by the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and the country's civil defence authorities, follows a realisation that the facility could be vulnerable to a missile attack.
The Haaretz newspaper quoted officials last week as saying they had concluded the reactor was no longer impenetrable in the event of war.
Deactivating the reactor in the southern Negev desert would minimise the dangers of nuclear fallout in the area "should it be targeted by missiles from as far away as Iran".
The official explanation is that work on the reactor is conducted for research and does not need to be carried out around the clock.
According to defence sources, the shutdown at Dimona would begin before the launch of any Israeli or US assault on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Source:
The Australian