202410 23 - As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, Israel refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Victor Gilinsky, a former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, about Israel's nuclear capabilities. It's believed Israel has around 90 warheads.

Israel is still vowing to respond to Iran's ballistic missile strikes a few weeks ago. It's part of a terrifying tit for tat between the two regional superpowers that could widen an already escalating war.

Meanwhile, Israel is believed to be a nuclear power with 90 warheads, although it refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program, and analysts say Iran could rapidly develop a nuclear weapon if it chose to. It's part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not. Victor Gilinsky was a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission under Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan. And he told our co-host Michel Martin how Israel first produced a nuclear explosive device in the late 1960s. Read more.