The background is that the Assad regime, which ruled Syria until 2024, had developed a secret nuclear energy program. Much was destroyed in Israeli bombings in 2007. However, several research facilities and storage facilities survived.
After the fall of the Assad regime, the IAEA signed an agreement with Damascus to visit sites linked to the country's nuclear energy program. But Israel has threatened to bomb the sites again if the nuclear material is not removed.
Israel has, according to Axios, seen signs that the new Syrian government was trying to access the material. The US is said to have asked Israel to wait and then involved the IAEA, according to Axios. The agreement was signed three weeks ago.
