“Israel is one of the countries most prepared for scenarios of nuclear terrorism, ” Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz said at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC last week.
According to Steinitz, Israel has developed means to prevent the smuggling of radioactive material and has a response unit prepared to confront radioactive terror 24/7. In addition, Israel has held multiple drills, including some in consultation with international officials, for various scenarios. “On the whole we can sleep soundly, relatively speaking, definitely when compared to other nations, ” he said.
World leaders participated in a “judgment day scenario” at the summit, in which ISIS succeeds in using a drone to transport a dirty bomb and spray radioactive material over Western cities. UK Prime Minister David Cameron warned that if ISIS gets its hands on nuclear material, there is a major risk that it will carry out a radioactive attack with a drone.
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Steinitz told the summit that Israeli assessments have determined that most people will be wounded in a radioactive attack as a result of panic. Therefore, he emphasized that world leaders need to think proactively about how to decrease panic. He also stressed the need for strong cyber defense for nuclear reactors.
When asked about the scenario of a nuclear attack, Steinitz said, that it is indeed a very frightening scenario. He emphasized that he is less worried about a scenario in which terrorists steal a nuclear bomb, but rather one in which they get their hands on radioactive material and use it in an attack. He told the security summit that Israel is prepared to help prevent the smuggling of radioactive materials to any state in the Middle East, even if said state does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
