IN COMMAND: Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak is said to have personally supervised the raid on Syria. -- AP

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According to a report in London's Sunday Times, which cited sources in Tel Aviv and Washington, the US gave the nod to Israel only after it was shown the evidence and confirmed that the samples were indeed derived from North Korea.

Israeli intelligence had been keeping an eye on the site near Dayr az-Zawr in northern Syria for months.

According to the report, commandos from the most elite of Israel's special forces - the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) - were able to infiltrate the site undetected and extract the material.

The operation was said to have been personally supervised by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak. Since assuming the defence portfolio three months ago, he is said to have focused on developments at Dayr az-Zawr.

Reconnaissance forays deep into hostile Arab countries have been carried out by Israeli commando units for decades, almost always undetected and unreported.

The significance of the Syrian site and its alleged nuclear connection has been the subject of widespread speculation, but neither Israel nor the US has offered any authoritative reading.

Washington's former UN ambassador John Bolton suggested last week that North Korea - on the eve of talks aimed at ending its own nuclear weapons programme - might be aiming to use Syria as a 'safe haven' for its nuclear materials in return for aid and security guarantees.

North Korea is said to possess 55kg of weapons-grade plutonium - enough for several rudimentary bombs.

There have also been suggestions that the alleged material is destined for trans-shipment to Iran or for development of a Syrian nuclear programme.

US President George W. Bush pointedly refused to answer questions about the reported Israeli raid at a press conference last week.

But US officials have said Washington will not ignore any attempt by North Korea to export nuclear material.

Former Mossad analyst Uzi Arad, who is an adviser to opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, told Newsweek last week that the Israeli raid on Dayr az-Zawr was highly significant. 'I do know what happened, and when it comes out it will stun everyone.'

Israeli officials have not acknowledged the Sept6 raid, which reportedly left the compound in ruins, but Mr Netanyahu in effect confirmed it during a TV interview last week.

It highlights the possibility of a similar attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in the future, although Israel has made it clear that this is a task it prefers to leave to the West.

North Korea was the only country, besides Iran, to hasten to condemn the raid, even though Syria has admitted only to an Israeli violation of its air space and the dropping of 'munitions'.

North Korea and Syria have had close relations for several years, but both deny any nuclear cooperation.

North Korean engineers are believed to have assisted the Syrians in upgrading their Scud missiles, and are reported to be helping the Syrians develop chemical warheads.

Syrian officials flew to North Korea last week, reportedly to discuss their response to the raid and to accusations of nuclear cooperation.

'One has to balance the scepticism that the Syrians can build an indigenous nuclear programme with the very sobering assessment that North Korea is the world's No.1 proliferator and a country willing to sell whatever it possesses,' said a former senior US intelligence official quoted by the Wall Street Journal.

abra@netvision.net.il