In other news from the Middle East, Admiral Michael Mullen, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, released intelligence Friday that he said proves North Korea and Syria colluded on a nuclear facility that Israel bombed in September.

Admiral Mike Mullen: “That this facility was being built secretly and against international convention and that it was destroyed before it became operational are the key points to remember. It should serve as a reminder to us all of the very real dangers of proliferation and need to rededicate ourselves to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, particularly into the hands of a state or a group with terrorist connections.”

But the Pentagon’s handling of the intelligence is coming under criticism. The head of the UN nuclear monitoring agency has questioned why the US withheld the intelligence information until now. Syria’s ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, also questioned Mullen’s statement.

Imad Moustapha: “Why didn’t they rush with the evidence immediately the day they struck? Think hard. Don’t be gullible. Don’t just follow their stories. Don’t repeat — don’t fall into the same trap that the New York Times and the Washington Post have fallen to in preparation for the war in Iraq.”