Editing Gulf War (section)

==Early battles==

===Air campaign===
{{Main|Gulf War air campaign}}
[[File:F-117 Nighthawk Front.jpg|thumb|left|The [[USAF]] [[F-117 Nighthawk]], one of the key aircraft used in Operation Desert Storm]]

The Gulf War began with an extensive [[aerial bombing of cities|aerial bombing]] campaign on 16 January 1991. For 42 consecutive days and nights, the coalition forces subjected Iraq to one of the most intensive air bombardments in military history. The coalition flew over 100,000 [[sortie]]s, dropping 88,500 tonnes of bombs,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/limit1.html |author=Edwin E. Moïse |title=Limited War: The Stereotypes |publisher=Clemson University |access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> which widely destroyed military and civilian infrastructure.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Iraqi anti-aircraft defenses, including [[man-portable air-defense systems]], were surprisingly ineffective against enemy aircraft, and the coalition suffered only 75 aircraft losses in over 100,000 sorties, 44 due to Iraqi action. Two of these losses are the result of aircraft colliding with the ground while evading Iraqi ground-fired weapons.<ref name=cnnstats>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/gulf.war/facts/gulfwar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612131747/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/gulf.war/facts/gulfwar/ |archive-date=12 June 2008 |title=CNN.com In-depth specials — Gulf War (via Internet Archive) |access-date=23 March 2008 |year=2001 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rjlee.org/aaloss.html |title=Fixed-Wing Combat Aircraft Attrition in Desert Storm |year=2002 |access-date=30 January 2012 |author=Lee, Robin J. |quote=Sources: Gulf War Airpower Survey, Vol. 5; Norman Friedman, Desert Victory; World Air Power Journal. Additionally, Mark Bovankovich and LT Chuck Chase offered corrections and several intriguing details on these incidents. All errors, however, remain entirely mine.}}</ref> One of these losses is a confirmed air-air victory.<ref>[[Rick Atkinson|Atkinson, Rick]] (1994). ''Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, p. 47. {{ISBN|978-0-395-71083-8}}</ref>

===Iraqi Scud missile strikes on Israel and Saudi Arabia===
{{main|Iraqi rocket attacks on Israel|Iraqi rocket attacks on Saudi Arabia}}
[[File:scud TEL launch.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Scud]] Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) with missile in upright position]]

Iraq's government made no secret that it would attack Israel if invaded. Prior to the war's start, in the aftermath of the failed US–Iraq peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, a reporter asked Iraq's English-speaking Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz: "Mr. Foreign Minister, if war starts&nbsp;... will you attack Israel?" His response was: "Yes, absolutely, yes."<ref>Lawrence Freedman and Efraim Karsh, ''The Gulf Conflict: Diplomacy and War in the New World Order'', 1990–1991 (Princeton, 1993), 332.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/176306&start=607&end=657 |title=Geneva Meeting on Persian Gulf Crisis |work=C-SPAN Video Library |publisher=C-SPAN |date=9 January 1991 |access-date=18 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501102548/http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/176306%26start%3D607%26end%3D657 |archive-date=1 May 2011}}</ref>

Five hours after the first attacks, Iraq's state radio broadcast declared that "The dawn of victory nears as this great showdown begins." Iraq fired eight missiles the next day. These missile attacks were to continue throughout the war. Iraq fired 88 Scud missiles during the war's seven weeks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iraqwatch.org/government/US/Pentagon/dodscud.htm|title=Information Paper: Iraq's Scud Ballistic Missiles|first=Bernard|last=Rostker|year=2000|publisher=Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control from 2000 to 2006|access-date=21 May 2009|archive-date=14 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514212635/http://www.iraqwatch.org/government/US/Pentagon/dodscud.htm}}</ref>

Iraq hoped to provoke a military response from Israel. The Iraqi government hoped that many Arab states would withdraw from the Coalition, as they would be reluctant to fight alongside Israel.<ref name=sam>Waldman, Shmuel (2005). ''Beyond a Reasonable Doubt''. Feldheim Publishers, p. 179. {{ISBN|978-1-58330-806-6}}</ref> Following the first attacks, [[Israeli Air Force]] jets were deployed to patrol the northern airspace with Iraq. Israel prepared to militarily retaliate, as its policy for the previous 40 years had always been retaliation. However, President Bush pressured Israeli Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Shamir]] not to retaliate and withdraw Israeli jets, fearing that if Israel attacked Iraq, the other Arab states would either desert the coalition or join Iraq. It was also feared that if Israel used Syrian or Jordanian airspace to attack Iraq, they would intervene in the war on Iraq's side or attack Israel. The coalition promised to deploy [[MIM-104 Patriot|Patriot missiles]] to defend Israel if it refrained from responding to the Scud attacks.<ref>Lawrence Freedman and Efraim Karsh, ''The Gulf Conflict: Diplomacy and War in the New World Order'', 1990–1991 (Princeton, 1993), 331–41.</ref><ref>Thomas, Gordon, ''Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad''</ref>

The Scud missiles targeting Israel were relatively ineffective, as firing at extreme range resulted in a dramatic reduction in accuracy and payload. Two Israeli civilians died as a direct result of the missile attacks.<ref name="JPostCasualtyCount">{{cite news |title=The day Israel's wars changed forever |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/the-day-israels-wars-changed-forever-655785 |access-date=2022-03-01 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post &#124; Jpost.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Between 11 and 74 were killed from incorrect use of gas masks, heart attacks, and incorrect use of the anti-chemical weapons drug [[atropine]].<ref name="JPostCasualtyCount" /> Approximately 230 Israelis were injured.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fetter |first1=Steve |last2=Lewis |first2=George N. |last3=Gronlund |first3=Lisbeth|author3-link= Lisbeth Gronlund |title=Why were Casualties so low? |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=361 |pages=293–296 |publisher=[[Nature Publishing Group]] |location=London |date=28 January 1993 |url=http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/1903/4282/1/1993-Nature-Scud.pdf |doi=10.1038/361293a0 |issue=6410 |hdl=1903/4282 |s2cid=4343235 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Extensive property damage was also caused, and, according to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Damage to general property consisted of 1,302 houses, 6,142 apartments, 23 public buildings, 200 shops and 50 cars."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/history/pages/the%20gulf%20war%20-%201991.aspx|title=The Gulf War (1991)|access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref> It was feared that Iraq would fire missiles filled with [[nerve agent]]s such as [[sarin]]. As a result, Israel's government issued [[conflict gas mask|gas mask]]s to its citizens. When the first Iraqi missiles hit Israel, some people injected themselves with an antidote for nerve gas. It has been suggested that the sturdy construction techniques used in Israeli cities, coupled with the fact that Scuds were only launched at night, played an important role in limiting the number of casualties from Scud attacks.<ref name="publicpolicy.umd.edu">{{cite journal |last1=Fetter |first1=Steve |last2=Lewis |first2=George N. |last3=Gronlund |first3=Lisbeth |title=Why were Casualties so low? |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=361|pages=293–296 |location=London |date=28 January 1993 |url=http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/1903/4282/1/1993-Nature-Scud.pdf |doi=10.1038/361293a0 |issue=6410 |hdl=1903/4282 |s2cid=4343235 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

{{multiple image|right
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Gulfwar 1991 in Israeli shelter.jpg
| image2            = Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Damage from an Iraqi Scud missile.jpg
| footer            = Israeli civilians taking shelter from missiles (top) and aftermath of attack in Ramat Gan, Israel (bottom)
| align             = 
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| caption2          = 
}}

In response to the threat of Scuds on Israel, the US rapidly sent a Patriot missile air defense artillery battalion to Israel along with two batteries of MIM-104 Patriot missiles for the protection of civilians.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V110/N60/war1.60n.html|title=Three Israelis killed as Scuds hit Tel Aviv|newspaper=[[The Tech (newspaper)|The Tech]]|year=1991|access-date=11 January 2009|archive-date=28 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228034422/http://tech.mit.edu/V110/N60/war1.60n.html}}</ref> The [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]] also deployed a Patriot missile squadron to Israel and Turkey. The Dutch Defense Ministry later stated that the military use of the Patriot missile system was largely ineffective, but its psychological value for the affected populations was high.<ref name=nederland2009>{{cite web|url=http://www.defensie.nl/landmacht/onderwijs/werkstukken_basisvorming/golfoorlog/betrokkenheid_van_nederland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428093020/http://www.defensie.nl/landmacht/onderwijs/werkstukken_basisvorming/golfoorlog/betrokkenheid_van_nederland|archive-date=2011-04-28|title=Betrokkenheid van Nederland|publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)|Ministerie van Defensie]]|year=2009|access-date=11 January 2009|language=nl}}</ref>

Coalition air forces were also extensively exercised in "Scud hunts" in the Iraqi desert, trying to locate the camouflaged trucks before they fired their missiles at Israel or Saudi Arabia. On the ground, special operations forces also infiltrated Iraq, tasked with locating and destroying Scuds – including the ill-fated [[Bravo Two Zero]] patrol of the [[Special Air Service|SAS]]. Once special operations were combined with air patrols, the number of attacks fell sharply, then increased slightly as Iraqi forces adjusted to coalition tactics.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

As the Scud attacks continued, the Israelis grew increasingly impatient, and considered taking unilateral military action against Iraq. On 22 January 1991, a Scud missile hit the Israeli city of [[Ramat Gan]], after two coalition Patriots failed to intercept it. Three elderly people suffered fatal heart attacks, another 96 people were injured, and 20 apartment buildings were damaged.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kifner|first1=John|title=WAR IN THE GULF: TEL AVIV; 3 DIE 96 ARE HURT IN ISRAELI SUBURB|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/23/world/war-in-the-gulf-tel-aviv-3-die-96-are-hurt-in-israeli-suburb.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 January 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Atkinson|first1=Rick|last2=Balz|first2=Dan|title=Scud Hits Tel Aviv, Leaving 3 Dead, 96 Hurt|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/fogofwar/archive/post012291.htm|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=2 June 2013|date=23 January 1991}}</ref> After this attack, the Israelis warned that if the US failed to stop the attacks, they would. At one point, Israeli commandos boarded helicopters prepared to fly into Iraq, but the mission was called off after a phone call from US Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, reporting on the extent of coalition efforts to destroy Scuds and emphasizing that Israeli intervention could endanger US forces.<ref>Cheney, Richard: ''In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir''</ref>

In addition to the attacks on Israel, [[Iraqi rocket attacks on Saudi Arabia|47 Scud missiles were fired into Saudi Arabia]], and one missile was fired at Bahrain and another at Qatar. The missiles were fired at both military and civilian targets. One Saudi civilian was killed, and 78 others were injured. No casualties were reported in Bahrain or Qatar. The Saudi government issued all its citizens and expatriates with gas masks in the event of Iraq using missiles with warheads containing chemical weapons.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ottaway|first=David B.|date=1990-08-31|title=SAUDI KING FAHD ORDERS GAS MASKS FOR EVERYONE|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/08/31/saudi-king-fahd-orders-gas-masks-for-everyone/990b9314-d55f-4b60-bdc4-bb0f7b0d237a/|access-date=2021-03-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The government broadcast alerts and 'all clear' messages over television to warn citizens during Scud attacks.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

On 25 February 1991, a Scud missile hit a US Army barracks of the 14th Quartermaster Detachment, out of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, stationed in [[Dhahran]], Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers and injuring over 100.<ref name="iraqwatch.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqwatch.org/government/US/Pentagon/dodscud.htm |title=DOD: Information Paper- Iraq's Scud Ballistic Missiles |publisher=Iraqwatch.org |access-date=18 March 2010 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514212635/http://www.iraqwatch.org/government/US/Pentagon/dodscud.htm }}</ref> A subsequent investigation found that the assigned Patriot missile battery had failed to engage due to the [[Loss of significance|loss of significance effect]] in the onboard computer's [[Floating-point arithmetic|floating point calculations]] compounding over 100 hours of consecutive use, shifting the range gate position far enough to lose contact with the Scud during tracking action.<ref>{{cite web|author=U. S. Government Accountability Office|title=Patriot Missile Defense: Software Problem Led to System Failure at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia|url=https://www.gao.gov/products/imtec-92-26|access-date=2022-01-25|website=www.gao.gov|language=en}}</ref>

===Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia (Battle of Khafji)===
{{Main|Battle of Khafji}}
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2018}}
[[File:Battle of Khafji 1991.svg|thumb|Military operations during Khafji's liberation]]

On 29 January, Iraqi forces attacked and occupied the lightly defended Saudi city of [[Khafji]] with tanks and infantry. The Battle of Khafji ended two days later when the Iraqis were driven back by the [[Saudi Arabian National Guard]], supported by Qatari forces and US Marines.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Washingtonpost.com: Fog of War – Post Archive|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|language=en-US|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/fogofwar/archive/post013091.htm|access-date=2021-03-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The allied forces used extensive artillery fire.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Both sides suffered casualties, although Iraqi forces sustained substantially more dead and captured than the allied forces. Eleven Americans were killed in two separate [[friendly fire]] incidents, an additional 14 US airmen were killed when their [[AC-130]] gunship was shot down by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile,<ref>{{cite web|last=Wilkinson|first=Jeff|date=May 29, 2016|title=25 years ago, this University of South Carolina graduate gave his life in Desert Storm|url=https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article80667657.html|access-date=March 25, 2021|website=The State}}</ref> and two US soldiers were captured during the battle. Saudi and Qatari forces had a total of 18 dead. Iraqi forces in Khafji had 60–300 dead and 400 captured.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

The Battle of Khafji was an example of how air power could single-handedly hinder the advance of enemy ground forces. Upon learning of Iraqi troop movements, 140 coalition aircraft were diverted to attack an advancing column consisting of two armored divisions in battalion-sized units. Precision stand-off attacks were conducted during the night and through to the next day. Iraqi vehicle losses included 357 tanks, 147 armored personnel carriers, and 89 mobile artillery pieces. Some crews simply abandoned their vehicles upon realizing that they could be destroyed by guided bombs, stopping the divisions from massing for an organized attack on the town. One Iraqi soldier, who had fought in the Iran–Iraq War, remarked that his brigade "had sustained more punishment from allied airpower in 30 minutes at Khafji than in eight years of fighting against Iran."<ref>[http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2014/February%202014/0214reversal.aspx AirLand Reversal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219160549/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2014/February%202014/0214reversal.aspx |date=19 February 2014 }}. ''Air Force Magazine''. 1 February 2014.</ref>