U.S., Israel to Conduct Joint Military Exercises
Feb. 18 -- Iraq reported firing at U.S. and British warplanes patrolling Iraq's southern no-fly-zone today as the Israeli army announced American and Israeli forces would conduct six days of joint military exercises.
Starting Monday in southern Israel, the two forces will practice firing Patriot missiles, the same missiles that failed to stop most of the 39 Iraq Scud missiles fired at Israel during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Most scud missiles struck neighborhoods in and around Tel Aviv.
"The exercise has been planned for over a year and is part of routine U.S.-Israel training designed to validate interoperability of air defense systems," the army said in a statement released today.
Although Israel says it is taking seriously Saddam Hussein's threat to retaliate against Friday's air strikes by U.S. and British warplanes, which Iraq says killed two people and injured 20 more, Israel also says it sees no immediate danger.
Yet today, Iraq reported it fired missiles and anti-aircraft guns at U.S. and British warplanes returning on patrol to Iraq's southern no-fly zone for the second time since Friday's deadly air strikes. The United States denies Iraq fired at the patrols.
Since shortly after the end of the Gulf War, American and British planes have patrolled the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq to enforce a ban on Iraqi aircarft.
The southern zone was created in August 1992 to protect Shi'a Muslims who rebelled against Baghdad following the Gulf War. In 1998 Iraq refused to recognize the zones, leading to a low-level air conflict since.
The report came as Saddam Hussein met top aides to discuss improvements to anti-aircraft defenses and as 2,000 Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad for a second day.
Rising Protests
Protesters in Baghdad burned American and Israeli flags in defiance of Friday's attack on Iraqi military targets.
Despite heavy rain, Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Nabil Najim joined a crowd of at least 1,000 in the city's center while across Baghdad 1,000 others, some of them children kept home from school, gathered outside the offices of the ruling al-Baath party.
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