Syria Says Israel Burying Nuclear Waste

Syria accused Israel of burying nuclear waste in tunnels in the Golan Heights, Syrian government officials said.

The Egyptian government-affiliated newspaper Al-Ahram said the officials made the accusations in a recent report dubbed "the suffering of Syrian citizens in the Golan," submitted to the United Nations human rights commission.

The newspaper noted that similar accusations were made by Syrian government officials in 2003, when they said special Israeli army units were digging tunnels in Mount Hermon to dump nuclear waste from Israel's nuclear reactor in Dimona.

In the recent report,Syrian sources said Israel has dug a tunnel in Mount Hermon to hide dozens of nuclear warheads and has booby-trapped the Golan Heights with bombs, tactical nuclear mines and combustible radioactive devices,the newspaper said.

It said Israel has attempted to downplay the accusations, saying it is digging anti-tank ditches in the Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Days War. Syria has insisted a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights is a key part to any peace deal.