A US F-16 fighter fired a HARM anti radar missile at an Iraqi mobile surface to air missile system in the second such incident yesterday on the eve of the US presidential election, a Pentagon spokesman said.
The consecutive incidents put US resolve to the test at a time when President Clinton was absorbed by the final day of his campaign.
The US Defence Secretary, Mr William Perry, refrained from making any threats against Baghdad and told reporters the Pentagon was not worried by Iraq's reconstitution of its air defences in a no fly zone in the south. An investigation had been started to establish exactly what happened, he said.
"In both cases, the F16 warning gear alerted it that it was being tracked by a surface to air missile system, and therefore appropriately, according to our rules of engagement, they launched a HARM missile ... to the source of that radiation," Mr Perry said.
The latest incident occurred at 9 a.m. Irish time yesterday and the first at 9.30 a.m. Irish time on Saturday at locations within 40km of each other, the Pentagon said.
If confirmed, yesterday's attempt to target US warplanes enforcing a no fly zone south of the 33rd parallel would pose a direct challenge to Washington as Americans were about to go to the polls.
The US threatened in September to respond disproportionately if Iraq reconstituted air defences that were knocked out in cruise missile attacks on September 3rd and 4th.
Iraqi air defences were rebuilt within weeks of the attack, but until now Baghdad had made no attempt to target US warplanes enforcing the no fly zone.
Washington launched the cruise missile attacks and extended the no fly zone from the 32nd to the 33rd parallel in retaliation for an Iraqi offensive against a Kurdish safe haven in northern Iraq.