Commentary: Israel's 1981 attack on Iraqi nuclear reactor only fuelled Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes

LOS ANGELES: Israel, with the assistance of US military hardware, bombs an adversary’s nuclear facility to set back the perceived pursuit of the ultimate weapon. In time, many Western observers and government officials, too, chalked up the attack as a win for nonproliferation, hailing the strike as an audacious but necessary step to prevent Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from building a nuclear arsenal. As nuclear proliferation experts assess the extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities following the recent US and Israeli raids, it is worth reassessing the longer-term implications of that earlier Iraqi strike.