In the latest report series from Israel’s international intelligence community, today we focus on Operation Orchard, one of Mossad’s key interventions that reportedly prevented Syria from acquiring nuclear weapons, aided by North Korea.
Syrian General Muhammad Sulaiman harbored intense hostility toward Israel and threatened to pursue nuclear armament as a deterrent. A single misstep by Mossad during Operation Orchard in 2007 could have triggered a full-scale war between Israel and Syria.
The Core of Operation Orchard
Israeli intelligence discovered Syria’s secret nuclear project at the Deir-ez-Zor plant. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) intervened to halt the plan.
On 6 September 2007, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the destruction of the Deir-ez-Zor facility, executed using F‑15 and F‑16 fighter jets and Shaldag helicopters. During the strike, ten North Korean experts helping Syria’s nuclear efforts were reportedly killed.
Mossad’s Shadow Intelligence
In 2001, Mossad began tracking Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and noted North Korean visits focused on advanced weaponry. Syria’s intelligence agency reported nuclear talks, but Mossad awaited deeper confirmation.
In 2004, the CIA revealed Syria–North Korea espionage links. By December 2006, Mossad traced Syrian nuclear chief Ibrahim Othman to London and infiltrated his hotel room. Using a Trojan malware, Mossad extracted plans and photos of the suspected reactor along with evidence of visits from North Korean nuclear experts.
That intelligence confirmed Syria’s covert nuclear reactor, prompting Mossad to shift from surveillance to action.
The Order to Strike
Before the strike, Olmert commissioned a reconnaissance team from Sayeret Matkal to gather visual and electronic confirmation of the reactor’s existence.
Israeli Airstrike
On 6 September 2007, a squadron of IAF jets—F‑15I “Ra’am” and F‑16I “Sufa”—escorted by ELINT aircraft, bombarded the site with 17 tons of ordinance. Ten North Korean engineers were killed in the assault.
Strategic Aftermath
Olmert directly warned Syrian President Assad, via Turkish PM Erdogan, that Israel would not tolerate any future nuclear builds. Mossad also later carried out a targeted assassination of General Sulaiman in August 2008 for his role in Syria’s bomb program.
