On this day in military history…
In the early hours of 17 January 1991, as the first Allied air strikes of the Gulf War lit up the skies over Iraq, the Iraqi government launched a dramatic and dangerous response. Scud missiles were fired toward Israel, marking the opening of a missile campaign designed to change the course of the conflict. This attack came only hours after the United States and its coalition partners began Operation Desert Storm, the massive air offensive intended to force Iraqi troops out of Kuwait.
The timing was no accident. Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, understood that Israel was not part of the Allied coalition, which included Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. By attacking Israel, Saddam hoped to provoke retaliation. If Israel struck back, he believed the Arab members of the coalition would be politically pressured to withdraw, potentially collapsing the alliance that opposed him.
The missiles used were Soviet-designed Scud ballistic missiles, modified by Iraq into longer-range versions known as Al-Hussein missiles. These modifications allowed them to reach Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, but they also made the missiles less stable and less accurate. Despite this, their psychological impact was enormous. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, people rushed into sealed rooms, and civilians wore gas masks, fearing that the missiles might carry chemical warheads. Although Iraq did not use chemical weapons against Israel, the memory of its earlier chemical attacks during the Iran–Iraq War made the threat feel very real.
The 17 January attack was the first of many. Over the course of the Gulf War, Iraq launched a total of 39 Scud missiles at Israel between January and February 1991. The first wave on 17 January struck the Tel Aviv area, causing injuries, property damage, and widespread panic, even though no one was killed directly by the explosions. Tragically, several people later died from heart attacks or improper use of gas masks during the alerts.
One of the most interesting aspects of this episode was Israel’s response, or rather its restraint. Despite intense public anger and fear, Israel did not retaliate. This was largely due to heavy pressure from the United States, which wanted to keep the coalition intact. To help reassure Israel, the US deployed Patriot missile batteries to Israeli territory. These defensive missiles were intended to intercept incoming Scuds, and while their actual effectiveness remains debated, they provided a sense of protection and political reassurance.
Meanwhile, Allied forces made hunting down the mobile Scud launchers a top priority. Coalition aircraft flew thousands of sorties over western Iraq, searching for launch vehicles that were often hidden, moved frequently, or disguised as civilian trucks. Although many launchers survived, the intense air campaign reduced the frequency of attacks and demonstrated the difficulty of stopping mobile ballistic missiles.
Iraq’s strategy ultimately failed. Israel stayed out of the war, the coalition held together.
