By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A year after its jets bombed a Syrian facility which U.S. officials openly described as a secret nuclear reactor, Israel still refuses to give an account -- not even formally confirming the raid ever happened.

Such reticence is unusual for a country steeped in military myth. Israel's fractious politics, dominated by ex-generals, has long made war stories a staple part of the national discourse.

For Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, going public about the Sept. 6, 2007, sortie might be the last chance to craft a legacy: He is due to tender his resignation later this week, haunted by graft scandals and the setbacks of Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon.

But Olmert has made clear the muzzle will remain.

"Over the past year, we have taken care not to comment on, respond to, confirm or deny, and to act with the necessary restraint and responsibility, regarding security issues of the highest order," he told his cabinet on Sunday.

Olmert appeared to be criticising televised remarks by a lawmaker from his Kadima party who suggested Defence Minister Ehud Barak, a former top general whose Labour party props up the coalition government, had been slow to approve the Syria strike.

"It is inconceivable that somebody -- for whatever reasons, be they political or personal -- allows himself to say things that I unequivocally reject," said Olmert.

Those Israeli officials who agree to speak -- on condition of anonymity -- as well as independent analysts attributed Olmert's silence to a desire to see progress in Turkish-mediated peace talks with Syria which were unveiled in May.

They say that Israeli assertions about the target of the raid would risk humiliating Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has denied allegations by the CIA and White House that his government pursued nuclear weapons with the help of North Korea.

There may also be operational considerations.

Assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, Israel has hinted it could attack Iran as a last resort to deny its arch-foe access to nuclear technologies with bomb-making potential.

Should that happen, Israel formally giving details about the Syrian raid could help Iran better prepare its defences.

Some Israeli officials voiced quiet dismay at the American disclosures in May about the Syria strike, though CIA director Michael Hayden said intelligence on the targeted facility was being published as part of a "team effort".

"Any discussion of what happened in Syria carries the danger of divulging information on tactics we may have to reuse," said one Israeli official. (Editing by Mariam Karouny)

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