Syria 'nearly had N-reactor'

The United Nations' nuclear agency says a Syrian target bombed four years ago by Israel was probably a nearly finished, covertly built nuclear reactor.

The finding by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sets the stage for potential UN Security Council action against Syria.

Damascus, which insists the building had no nuclear use, has repeatedly turned down IAEA requests to revisit the site after allowing an initial 2008 inspection that found evidence of possible nuclear activities.