Scuds Fired at Saudis Rain Debris on City

Iraq fired two Scud missiles at this northern Saudi city today but they broke up in the air, raining debris that destroyed an auto-repair shop and a house, allied military officials said.

U.S. military officers initially reported that the Scuds were intercepted by a Patriot missile.

But Marine Brig. Gen. Richard Neal told reporters in Riyadh today that no Patriots were fired over Hafr al-Batin because the city is not within “the envelope of Patriot forces.”

Neal said Iraq fired two missiles at Hafr al-Batin and it “appeared that the Scuds broke up in flight.” He added that the missiles may have been of “lesser quality” than those that have previously hit Saudi Arabia and Israel.

A Saudi military spokesman, Col. Ahmed al-Robayan, also said the Scuds exploded in the air, adding that flying debris slightly injured four Saudi civilians, destroyed a house, an auto repair shop and set three cars on fire.

Arab forces in the U.S.-led coalition are stationed at Hafr al-Batin, which is about 65 miles from the Kuwaiti border near a major Saudi military base. It was targeted by Iraq on Jan. 23, when one Scud was fired at the city but caused no damage.

Today’s attack came during air raid alerts far to the south in Riyadh, in the eastern city of Dhahran and in neighboring Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.

The alerts were the first in daytime for Riyadh and Bahrain. There were no reports of missiles hitting today anywhere but in Hafr al-Batin.