Evidence of a Syrian Nuclear Program?
A satellite image appears to show that Syria had a nuclear project that was a secret from the CIA
Newsweek has obtained a new satellite picture (courtesy of the U.S. commercial space-imaging company Geo-Eye) of the remote site in Syria along the Euphrates River where Israel is believed to have carried out a bombing raid on September 6. The picture was taken on September 16, 2003, and appears to show construction activity around a large, squarish building. The structure is at the same geographical coordinates, and appears to be identical in design to a building featured in more recent satellite pictures, taken by a different commercial company, of the purported site of the Israeli bombing raid.
Satellite pictures taken earlier this week show that the building was razed at some point between September and this week, and indicate that the terrain at the site was apparently heavily bulldozed. Neither the American nor the Israeli government has explained precisely what they believe was at the site. But nuclear experts say the building shown in the September 2003 and more recent pre-demolition pictures appears from the outside to resemble North Korea's principal nuclear facility. The new September 2003 picture suggests that the building was erected several years before the recent Israeli raid, and raises questions as to whether Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA and, until recently, the Israelis themselves, missed indications of a secret Syrian nuclear project over a period of years.
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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.
Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.
Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."
Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.
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