Foreign diplomats in Iraq have begun departing the country, and the U.S. has called upon its citizens in other Persian Gulf states to similarly leave. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will make a multimedia presentation to the United Nations Security Council to prove that a military offensive is necessary to strip Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction and eliminate the threat from Iraq. Using video, slides and audiotapes of intelligence intercepts as evidence, Powell will claim that Iraq is deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors.



Israel Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Dan Halutz stated last night that the Air Force is on alert and ready to respond to any scenario. The Iraqi arsenal contains only a limited number of operational ballistic missiles, Halutz said.