Israel has for the first time confirmed that it destroyed a suspected nuclear reactor being built in Syria in 2007.

The military said fighter jets bombed the al-Kibar facility in Deir al-Zour province, 450km (280 miles) north-east of Damascus, as it neared completion.

Syria’s government has repeatedly denied that it was building a reactor.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was determined to prevent its enemies from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“The Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces and the Mossad [intelligence services] prevented Syria from developing nuclear capability. They are worthy of full praise for this,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Israel’s policy was and remains consistent – to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with nuclear weapons.”

In 1981, in a surprise attack, Israeli jets destroyed a nuclear reactor being constructed south-east of Baghdad by the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein.

What has the Israeli military revealed?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a “vast intelligence effort” began in late 2004, when Israeli agents obtained information that foreign experts – believed to be North Korean – were helping Syria with a nuclear project.

After the Israeli intelligence community located the building site and predicted that the nuclear reactor would turn operational by the end of 2007, the IDF made plans for an air strike dubbed “Operation Outside the Box”.

At 22:30 on 5 September 2007, F-16 and F-15 jets took off from two bases in southern Israel and flew towards Deir al-Zour, via the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian-Turkish border.

The jets returned four hours later, after conducting a strike that totally disabled the reactor and caused irreversible damage, according to the IDF.

The IDF said it was decided not to confirm the strike or publish any information afterwards “in light of the highly sensitive security situation”.