American fighter planes bombed six communication centers in southern Iraq last night. The attack came in response to Iraqi shots at American planes patrolling in the no-fly zone closed to Iraqi aviation. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday that if Saddam Hussein leaves Iraq, there would be no war.
The U.S. and England plan to present the UN Security Council within a couple of days a resolution asking members to answer "yes or no" regarding whether Iraq is complying with a standing UN demand to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction. Arms inspector Hans Blix is expected to submit his final findings to the UN on March 1. Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz told the Cabinet today that the US military offensive against Iraq would most likely begin in early March.