Israel has started a large-scale construction project at a secret nuclear facility. The Associated Press reports about it with reference to the analysis of satellite images of the area.
The pictures show a pit “the size of a football field” and several floors deep. It is located just meters from the reactor of the Negev Desert Nuclear Center, near the town of Dimona. The Israeli government declined to comment on the agency’s findings.
The purpose of the pit is not clear. The Associated Press notes that the construction site may become the largest at this facility in recent decades. According to the agency, underground laboratories are already located in the center, where plutonium is produced for Israel’s nuclear program.
Israel is considered one of the nine nuclear powers, but the country itself does not officially deny or confirm the presence of nuclear weapons. It is not known for certain whether Israel is testing nuclear weapons. According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, Israel may have about 80 nuclear warheads.