Satellite images captured today, Thursday, reveal expansion and development works being carried out by Israel at the Dimona nuclear reactor.
The Palestinian news agency "Ma'an" reported this morning that the images show a pit the size of a football field, which likely indicates the construction of a multi-story building now just meters away from the old reactor at the Shimon Peres Nuclear Research Center in the Negev Desert, near the city of Dimona. According to the Associated Press, workers have excavated a pit 150 meters long and 60 meters wide southwest of the reactor, with signs of excavation visible near the site, as well as a channel about 330 meters long passing near the excavations in the pit.
The nuclear facility already houses underground laboratories that have been in operation for decades, reprocessing spent reactor fuel rods to obtain plutonium used in the production of weapons for Israel's nuclear bomb program. Despite this revelation of ongoing work, the purpose of the construction remains unclear, as the Israeli government has not responded to detailed inquiries from the Associated Press regarding the activities.
Meanwhile, Israeli writer and journalist Yoni Ben Menachem tweeted this morning that these expansions serve as a "message to Iran." Just days ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed concern following reports of the Dimona reactor's expansion, stating: "The only atomic facility in Israel is expanding; should this not raise concerns?"
