Recently published documents shed new light on the secretive program and role of John Kerry’s father in it

Israel’s purchase of American Hawk missiles from the US in the 1960s was a deal shrouded in mystery. The official reason was that the weapon was needed in order to defend Israeli air force bases and other facilities from Egyptian air strikes. However, according to Haaretz‘s defense and military affairs senior correspondent Amir Oren, the missiles were deployed in order to defend the nuclear reactor located in the southern city of Dimona.

Oren was quoting documents, published this week by nuclear history researchers Avner Cohen and Bill Burr on the website of the National Security Archive of George Washington University in Washington, which shed new light on the story of Israel’s secretive nuclear program and on the role of Richard Kerry, US Secretary of State John Kerry’s father, in it.

Cohen and Burr researched Israel’s efforts at the time to strengthen ties with Norway as well as to forge nuclear ties with France – a supplier of equipment and know-how.

Though Israel has never publicly confirmed the existence of its nuclear program, maintaining an official policy of “nuclear ambiguity,” it is widely assumed that the Nuclear Research Center in the southern town of Dimona contains Israel’s nuclear arsenal, which is currently estimated to number around 300 warheads.

– Read more: New Information Revealed on Israel’s Nuclear Reactor in Dimona – i24news