| Iraqi missile attacks against Israel | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGulf War and theArab–Israeli conflict | |
_-_Patriot_missiles_being_launched_to_intercept_an_Iraqi_Scud_missile.jpg) American surface-to-air missiles (MIM-104 Patriot) launching to intercept incoming Iraqi ballistic missiles (al-Husayn) over the Israeli city ofTel Aviv, 12 February 1991 | |
| Location | |
| Date | 17 January 1991 (1991-01-17) – 23 February 1991 (1991-02-23) (1 month and 6 days) |
| Outcome | Iraq fails to provoke Israeli retaliation |
| Casualties |
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| ||
|---|---|---|
Rise to power President of Iraq Desposition | ||
On 17 January 1991,Iraq initiated a missile campaign againstIsrael. Over the course of the next month, approximately 42Scud missiles were fired into Israeli territory, primarily at the cities ofTel Aviv andHaifa. The missile attacks began on the same day as theGulf War aerial bombardment campaign, which was targeting military infrastructure withinIraqi-occupied Kuwait. As manyMuslim-majority countries were actively contributing to theAmerican-led military coalition, the Iraqi government had expected them to rescind their support if Israel responded to the missile campaign by attacking Iraq. However, Israel was convinced byJordan and theUnited States to not retaliate: Jordanian kingHussein bin Talal had persuaded Israeli prime ministerYitzhak Shamir to consider Jordan's stability and not violate Jordanian airspace during a bilateral meeting two weeks earlier; and theBush administration had increased defense aid to Israel for the purpose of actively countering Iraq's barrages and preventing an Israeli counterattack, thereby ensuring that the coalition's Muslim countries did not withdraw.[2] On 23 February 1991, the coalition began a ground offensive into Iraqi-occupied Kuwait and Iraq proper. According to UK Cabinet Office records, the then-Minister of Defense of Israel,Moshe Arens said in a meeting at theWhite House that the Iraqi attacks had caused "extensive damage" in Israel.[3]
During the1948 Arab–Israeli War,Six-Day War andYom Kippur War, the armies of Iraq and Israel saw action against one another as part of the broaderArab–Israeli conflict.[4] At the onset of the conflict, approximately 80% of all weaponry imported by Iran originated from Israel. On 7 June 1981, Israelbombed Iraq'sOsirak Nuclear Reactor with Iranian intelligence support.[5] Israel's motivations for supporting Iran stemmed from a fear of what would have become if Iraq came out victorious and as an opportunity to create business for the Israeli arms industry.[6]
Throughout the entireGulf War air campaign,Iraqi forces fired approximately 42Al Husayn missiles into Israel from 17 January to 23 February 1991.[7][8] The strategic and political goal of the Iraqi campaign was to provoke an Israeli military response and potentially jeopardize theUnited States-ledcoalition against Iraq, which had full backing and/or extensive contributions from an overwhelming majority of the states of theMuslim world and would have suffered immense diplomatic and material losses ifMuslim-majority states rescinded their support due to the political situation of the ongoingIsraeli–Palestinian conflict. Despite inflicting casualties on Israeli civilians and damaging Israeli infrastructure, Iraq failed to provoke Israeli retaliation due to pressure exerted by the United States on the latter to not respond to "Iraqi provocations" and avoid any bilateral escalations.[9][10]
The Iraqi missiles were predominantly aimed at the Israeli cities ofTel Aviv andHaifa.[11] Despite numerous missiles being fired, a number of factors contributed to the minimisation of casualties in Israel.[12]
Throughout the late 1980s, Iraq modified their Scud missile arsenal to create anSRBM known as theAl Hussein. The primary reason for the upgrades was to increase the range of such missiles. However, missile range increase came at a cost of accuracy and structural stability and on a number of occasions, Iraqi missiles fired at Israel either broke up mid-air or fell short of their target. In addition, the missile warheads themselves on a number of occasions failed to detonate with a reported dud missile rate of over 10%.[12]
The missiles fired against Israel were conventional warheads and were not of chemical origin. Had chemical warheads been loaded, casualties would have been far greater.[12]
From the second attack onwards, the Israeli population were given a few minutes warning of an impending missile attack. Due to shared United States' satellite information on missile launches, citizens were given appropriate time to seek shelter from the impending missile attack.[12]
Modern multi-story apartment buildings erected in Israel at the time of the attacks were constructed using reinforced concrete columns, beams and floors. Such structurally integral housing units helped to prevent buildings from collapsing as a result of a nearby missile impact.[12]
Two Israeli civilians died as a direct result of the missile attacks.[1] Between 11 and 74 were killed from incorrect use of gas masks, heart attacks, and incorrect use of the anti-chemical weapons drugatropine.[1] A total of 4,100 buildings were damaged and at least 28 of those buildings destroyed. The area that sustained the most damage was the city ofRamat Gan.[12]
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