Major construction underway at secretive Israeli nuclear facility: AP analysis

There is major construction underway at a secretive Israeli nuclear facility seen in satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press. 

The facility near Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center has likely been under construction since 2019, Planet Labs images show. 

It is not known what the construction is for, but images show a soccer field-sized hole that runs several stories deep, according to The Associated Press. 

Israel is one of only nine countries that experts believe have nuclear capabilities, but Israel has never confirmed nor denied their existence. 

The construction is taking place near the city of Dimona at a facility that is believed to have been used to help Israel’s nuclear bomb program in the past.

Israel has been criticized for not signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an agreement between countries not to spread nuclear arms. 

The images showed concrete slabs at the Israeli facility that are typically used to gather nuclear waste, The Associated Press reported.

Experts believe Israel has 80 bombs in its program, but it is hard to estimate due to the lack of details publicly available about the program.