WORLD Israel to name nuclear facility after Shimon Peres JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister says a nuclear facility will be named after late former President Shimon Peres. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement at a ceremony Friday marking 30 days since Peres' death, where his tombstone was unveiled.

October 28, 2016

He said the facility, located in Israel's Negev desert, will be called "The Shimon Peres Center for Nuclear Science." Peres, who died last month at 93, spearheaded the development of Israel's nuclear program when he led the country's Defense Ministry in the 1950s. He helped Israel create what is believed to be a nuclear arsenal.

Israel maintains a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear program, neither confirming nor denying the existence of an arsenal.