US Knew About Israel's Raid on Syria in Advance

Israeli intelligence provided President Bush with indications that North Korean nuclear officials had arrived in Syria before Israel stealthily bombed an alleged nuclear facility there. Although the US was reluctant to upset progress on North Korean nonproliferation, it nevertheless tacitly supported Israel's raid—and likely corroborated the facts before Israel carried out the attack, the Washington Post reports.

The airstrike remains hazy: A media blackout persists in Israel and the Bush administration has not commented. Syria and North Korea both deny the joint program, but last month a North Korean ship docked at a Syrian port with cargo listed as "cement." But observers say that for Israel to risk war with Syria, the target must have been paramount to military planners. (More North Korea stories.)