Countries like North Korea and Pakistan managed to build nuclear weapons and credible enough delivery systems a couple of decades ago How difficult do you think it will be for other countries with today's much more modern technology if they really want to build them? Id be very surprised if the likes of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Israel or even Iran don't already secretly possess nuclear weapons. I'd expext at least several others have ongoing programns - the cautionary lesson from the different fates of Saddam, Gaddafi, Zelensky and Kim has certainly been learned.

One way to read Iran's ballistic missile attack on empty Israeli desert is as a demonstration that Israel's defence is unable to stop anything even approaching 100% of ballistic missiles. With nuclear weapons, the cost of even 1 leaker is unacceptable. You notice Netanyahu's public feud with Iran appears to be winding down.

Israel has had nuclear weapons for decades.

Why would they need to hide them?

> these countries that are not allowed to have nukes

Who says they are not allowed?

Countries with them.

Like the US, which was offering military protection in exchange for allies not building nukes.

The assurances have now been shown to be worthless.

Yes, and it’s actually even worse, it wasn’t just ‘not building them’ with Ukraine, they were stripped of them.