President Bush was quoted as saying Israel’s airstrike in Syria last year was an “important preventive action.”
During his visit to Israel last week, Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed the Sept. 6 attack in northern Syria, Defense News reported Monday, citing a Jerusalem official who was briefed on the talks.
The president said the mission, which many independent analysts believe targeted a nascent nuclear reactor, “was an important preventive action,” according to the American magazine.
Jerusalem and Washington have not offered details on the bombing. Syria has denied having any secret nuclear facilities.
Defense News further reported that Israeli intelligence found no links between the alleged Syrian reactor and Iran.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.