Israel Reveals Planned Strike on Iraq During Gulf War

(January 2001)

After a decade of silence, Israel marked the 10th anniversary of the Gulf War, revealing that although it did not invade Iraq, it had planes airborne and ready to perform a military strike. The January 2001 Air Force Magazine reported that Israeli radar and supply planes, which take longer than fighter planes to mobilize, were flying and ready to attack Iraqi Scud missile launching sites. "Since the retaliation operation demanded serious preparation, I immediately gave the order to start moving," Maj.-Gen. Avihu Bin-Num said in the report. "We had to start preparing the forces, briefing the teams and arming the aircraft."

During the war, 39 Scud missiles reached Israel. "In my opinion," Bin-Num said, "our operation would have reduced the number of Scud firings significantly. It would not have eliminated the attacks. It would not have altered the essence of the war. But it certainly would have contributed to the reduction in the number of missile strikes."