Former Al-Qaeda Leader Abu Muhammad Al-Julani Controls Syria Amid Discovery of Nuclear Material

Eighteen months after Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, formerly the leader of Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch Jabhat al-Nusra, took control of Syria, international concerns have escalated following the discovery of several tons of sensitive nuclear material within the country. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that inspectors found the nuclear material at a previously undisclosed site, which Syrian authorities only reported last month. Grossi warned that the material could be used for malicious purposes.

International officials express unease over the rapid pace at which the new Syrian regime seeks nuclear legitimacy, noting that it has been only a year and a half since Al-Julani, once a jihadist leader, assumed power. The regime’s swift normalization of its nuclear program raises alarms about its intentions and stability.

The primary concern is not that Syria currently possesses operational nuclear weapons, but the risk that in the event of further political instability, terrorist groups could seize the nuclear material or misuse it. Despite intense international pressure and reported agreements between the United States, Israel, and the IAEA to remove the material from Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Al-Shaibani stated at a press conference that the nuclear material will remain in the country. He asserted Syria’s sovereign and legal right to pursue a civilian nuclear program and claimed the materials do not pose a threat.