Iraqi Answers Call to Saudi Town

The first hint of a major Gulf War ground battle sounded like a prank. I telephoned the Khafji Beach Hotel on Wednesday to inquire about an Iraqi claim that its missiles had set fire to oil refineries in Khafji, a Saudi city near the Kuwaiti border.

The man on the other end said: “We are Iraqi soldiers!” I thought he was kidding.

“Fine, fine,” I said, laughing, “can you just please tell me if there is a fire at the refinery.”

“Who are you? Who are you? Huh? Who? What, Egyptian?” the man shouted in Arabic, guessing my nationality by my accent.

Another voice also came on the line. “Who are you?” I asked.

“We are with Saddam, with Arabism!” he shouted.

Moments later, the U.S. military in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, confirmed that Iraqi forces had attacked U.S. Marines and allied forces at Khafji.

“See you in Jerusalem,” the voice at the other end said.

The line went dead.