On June 24, 1981 (the 23rd of the fifth lunar month), Israel claimed that it had the ability to build a nuclear bomb. On June 24, 1981, after Israeli aircraft attacked a nuclear reactor in Baghdad on June 7, Mose-Dayan revealed Israel's ability to build a nuclear bomb. The former Israeli Defense Minister and Foreign Minister also emphasized that Israel will never build nuclear weapons first unless Arab countries build nuclear bombs first." We will never become a country with nuclear bombs first, but we will not lag behind others,"he said. In early June, Israeli F-4 Phantom jet bombers carrying extremely precise and sensitive bombs destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor. The reactor is nearly completed but has not yet been loaded with nuclear fuel. The factory was built by French and Italians. Reports say a French technician was killed. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin claimed the decision to bomb the reactor was the result of a "very difficult choice." But it also said that since Iraq could attack Israel with a Hiroshima-style atomic bomb, the bombing was a wise move. The attack drew criticism from around the world and further strained U.S. -Israeli relations. The United States halted the supply of four F-16 fighter jets and voted at the United Nations to condemn the attack. Daqang's assertion that Israel has the ability to build a nuclear bomb confirms the assumption that Israel has stockpiled uranium, some of which was stolen from West German ships in 1968 and from the Pennsylvania factory in 1965. The attack itself could strengthen the Arab argument that if they are not in an advantageous position, nuclear weapons will be needed to maintain at least a military balance with Israel.