Israel and weapons of mass destruction
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Israel possesses nuclear weapons, and there is speculation that they may have chemical and biological weapons programs.
The Israeli government refuses to officially confirm or deny that it has a nuclear weapon program, and it has not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In 1998, however, Prime Minister Shimon Peres admitted publicly that Israel possesses nuclear weapons. [1]
The first major revelation of Israel's nuclear capability came in the London Sunday Times on October 5, 1986, which printed information provided by Mordechai Vanunu, formerly employed at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, a facility located in the Negev desert south of Dimona. For his revelations, Vanunu was kidnapped by the Mossad and sentenced to 18 years in prison, 12 of them in solitary confinement.
Although there had been much speculation prior to Vanunu's revelations that the Dimona site was creating nuclear weapons, Vanunu's information showed that Israel had also created thermonuclear weapons.
According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Israel has approximately 100–200 nuclear explosive devices and a Jericho missile delivery system.
Nuclear weapons
Chemical weapons
Israel has signed but not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). There are speculations that a chemical weapons program might be located at the Israel Institute of Biological Research (IIBR) in Ness Ziona. Spy Marcus Klingberg served a 20-year sentence for the revelation of Israel's secrets to the Soviet Union.
Biological weapons
Israel is not a signatory to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC). There are speculations that a biological weapons program might be located at the Israel Institute of Biological Research (IIBR) in Ness Ziona.
External links
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