Bush Praises Israeli Restraint : Attack: President vows “search-and-destroy mission” to wipe out Iraq’s mobile missile force.

President Bush today praised Israel’s restraint in the face of an initial Iraqi attack, and vowed “the darndest search-and-destroy mission that’s ever been undertaken” to wipe out what’s left of Saddam Hussein’s mobile missile force.

“This guy is not going to pull a victory out of this by waging terrorist attacks,” Bush said. “Once again, we see that no neighbor of Iraq is safe.”

On the second day of the gulf war, the President said the allied effort is proceeding well but he cautioned that it “will take some time” to complete the task of liberating Kuwait.

“We must be realistic,” he said. “There will be losses, there will be obstacles along the way and war is never cheap or easy.”

He said he is concerned about the initial euphoria in reaction to first-day air strikes that drew practically no Iraqi response. He spoke as Pentagon officials said three U.S. warplanes and their five crew members had been lost in Operation Desert Storm.

“We are going to be redoubling our efforts in the darndest search-and-destroy mission that’s ever been taken,” said Bush. The military said today that it has located 11 mobile missile sites in Iraq, and destroyed six.

Bush later spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, according to White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater. The two men spoke talked shortly before air raid sirens sounded in Israel and government radio told citizens to don gas masks and enter sealed rooms for protection.

The President held his news conference before an afternoon visit to the Pentagon for a briefing by top military officials. “I’m over here to learn,” Bush said. He later was heading to Camp David, Md., for the weekend.

Earlier, Bush told reporters that he hoped Israel would not retaliate for the overnight attack, but he said, “Whatever happens, I’m convinced that this coalition will hold together.”

He said that from the beginning Israel has shown “great understanding” about U.S. security and political interests.

Bush again said none of the ongoing air strikes against Iraq are designed specifically to kill Hussein, adding, “We’re not targeting any particular individual.”