Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes
- Written by Jeffrey Fields, Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The Osirak nuclear power research station in 1981.Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty ImagesIsrael, with the assistance of U.S. military hardware, bombs an adversary’s nuclear facility to set back the perceived pursuit of the ultimate weapon. We have been here before, about 44 years ago.
In 1981, Israeli fighter jets supplied by Washington atta...