Archive · 3 Sep 2025
Israel's Nuclear Deception: Building a Bomb While Misleading the US
In the 1960s, Israel secretly built nuclear weapons.
They built a secret facility at Dimona to make the key parts of the bomb.
While doing this, they told the US that the facility was just for research, not weapons.
The US sent inspectors, but Israel hid their true activities.
By the time of a war in 1967, Israel had built nuclear weapons.
The US found out the truth much later, but kept quiet.
Even today, Israel does not officially admit it has nuclear weapons.
Israel secretly built a nuclear weapons program in the 1960s, deceiving the US.
A secret underground reprocessing facility at Dimona was key to producing plutonium.
The US conducted inspections, but was misled by Israeli concealment efforts.
Israel assembled its first nuclear devices just before the 1967 Six-Day War.
A secret agreement between the US and Israel established nuclear opacity.
- Who
- Israel, US, France
- What
- Israel's clandestine nuclear weapons program
- When
- 1960s, with initial development starting in mid to late 1950s
- Where
- Dimona, Israel, with French assistance
- Why
- To develop nuclear weapons, despite US concerns
- Location
- Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center (Dimona), Israel
- Key Players
- David Ben-Gurion, Levi Eshkol, Henry Kissinger
- US Inspection Period
- 1961-1969
- Secret Agreement
- 1969, between US and Israel on nuclear opacity
- Deception Tactic
- Concealment of reprocessing plant
- Plutonium Production
- Started in 1966 at the Dimona facility
