ISRAEL confirmed today that the piratical destruction in 2007 of what it called a nuclear facility in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor was carried out by its own warplanes.

“During the night of September 5-6 2007, the Israeli air force destroyed a nuclear facility in its last stages of construction … Four F-16 jets eliminated a nuclear threat not only to Israel but to the entire region,” a self-serving statement issued by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.

According to the IDF, the Military Intelligence Directorate had been monitoring the Syrian nuclear project for two years before the air strikes, which lasted for four hours.

Israeli intelligence forecasts estimated that the facility would have become active by the end of 2007.

“The Military Intelligence Directorate estimated that the nuclear facility was damaged beyond repair,” it continued.

“As the IDF was preparing for retaliation, it decided that information about the operation shouldn’t be disclosed to the general public at the time. The operation was deemed a success by the chief of the general staff. The nuclear facility was destroyed and an escalation in the region prevented.

“Only a few years later, Isis captured part of the Deir Ezzor region. One could only imagine how much havoc they could have wreaked with a nuclear facility in their hands,” the statement piously added.

Tel Aviv gave no reason for finally admitting what the world already knew, leaving speculation to grow that it was intended as a warning to Iran.

“The motivation of our enemies has grown in recent years, but so too the might of the IDF. Everyone in the Middle East would do well to internalise this equation,” Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman blustered.

Israel has intervened several times in the current seven-year war in Syria, carrying out well over 100 air strikes against Damascus forces or their Iranian and Lebanese supporters on behalf of the jihadist forces armed and financed by the US and its regional allies.

At the time of the 2007 strike, Syria accused Israel of invading its airspace but gave no further details about the target.

Israel itself is reported to possess about 80 nuclear weapons, though it denies having any and has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.