ai says

"The earliest leak of Israel's Samson Plan occurred in 1977. The leak was covered by major news outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz."

and

"In 1979, a U.S. surveillance satellite detected a double flash of light in the Indian Ocean, consistent with a nuclear detonation. U.S. intelligence suspected it was an Israeli nuclear test, possibly with South African support, but the Carter administration dismissed the findings to avoid political confrontation. Israel has never confirmed or denied possessing nuclear weapons, maintaining a policy of "nuclear ambiguity." As of 2021, researchers estimate Israel possesses 90 nuclear warheads reserved for the "Samson Option"—a last-resort strategy targeting enemy population centers."

"Declassified documents and statements from Israeli officials reveal the program's history. In the late 1950s, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's government deceived U.S., French, and Norwegian leaders to build a nuclear reactor, initially claiming it was for peaceful purposes while secretly producing weapons-grade plutonium. Israel likely assembled its first nuclear weapon by 1967. The book, Israel and the Bomb, details this deception using declassified archives. Today, Israel remains the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East."