From December 16th through the 20th, Allied warplanes and cruise missiles hammered Iraqi targets. This has resulted in nearly continual combat in the skies over Iraq as air-defence missile batteries attempt to shoot down American and British warplanes. In response, Allied forces attack these missile batteries and occasionally engage in punishing airstrikes on other targets in Iraq. The following chart details those incidents of combat. As new attacks occur, this chart will be updated.
Incidents begin with the earliest dates, with more recent events at the bottom.
The United States begins air patrols of the zone. Gulf coalition forces strike Iraqi radar and missile sites near the cities of Nasiriya, Samawa, Najaf and Al Amara. Over 100 aircraft take part in these attacks. The United States struck the Zafraniyah Nuclear Fabrication Facility, near Baghdad, with up to 42 Tomahawk Cruise missiles. This strike was designed to punish Saddam Hussein for Iraq's non-compliance with United Nations weapons inspections.