gulf war

The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States. The coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm, which began with the aerial bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January and ended with the American-led liberation of Kuwait on 28 February.
On 2 August 1990, Iraq, governed by Saddam Hussein, invaded neighboring Kuwait and occupied the country within two days. The invasion was primarily over Kuwait's alleged slant drilling in Iraq's Rumaila oil field, and Iraq's large debt to Kuwait from the recently ended Iran–Iraq War. After a brief rump puppet government known as the Republic of Kuwait, Iraq split Kuwait's territory, absorbing the north into Basra Governorate, and establishing Kuwait Governorate in the south.
The invasion of Kuwait was met with immediate international condemnation. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 660, demanding Iraq's immediate withdrawal from Kuwait, and Resolution 661, imposing a total embargo on products from Iraq and Kuwait. British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and US president George H. W. Bush deployed troops and equipment into Saudi Arabia and the coalition became the largest military alliance since World War II. The bulk of military power was from the US, with Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Egypt as the largest following contributors.
Resolution 678, adopted on 29 November 1990, gave Iraq an ultimatum, expiring on 15 January 1991, to withdraw from Kuwait, with member-states empowered to use "all necessary means" to force Iraq's compliance. On 17 January, the coalition began aerial and naval bombardment of Iraq and Kuwait, which continued for five weeks. Iraq fired missiles at Israel, hoping to provoke an Israeli military response that would lead to the withdrawal of Muslim-majority countries from the coalition. Israel did not retaliate and Iraq remained at odds with most Muslim-majority countries. Iraqi missile barrages against coalition targets in Saudi Arabia were also unsuccessful, and on 24 February 1991, the coalition launched a decisive ground assault liberating Kuwait and promptly advancing into Iraqi territory. The coalition halted its ground advance after one hundred hours, and declared a ceasefire.
In the war's aftermath, the Iraqi government suppressed a series of uprisings until 5 April 1991. Coalition countries responded by establishing two no-fly zones over Iraq's north and south. The United Nations Special Commission sought to end Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. In 2003, another US-led coalition invaded and occupied Iraq, beginning the Iraq War.
The conflict's environmental impact included Iraqi forces causing over six hundred oil well fires and the largest oil spill in history until that point. US bombing and post-war demolition of Iraqi chemical weapons facilities were concluded to be the primary cause of Gulf War syndrome, experienced by over 40% of US veterans.

The conflict introduced live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by American network CNN. It earned the nickname Video Game War, after the daily broadcast of images from cameras onboard American military aircraft. Considered the "first space war", the US adopted satellite-based reconnaissance, communications, and GPS navigation, while precision-guided munitions and a stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk, were novel features of the air war. The largest tank battles in American military history were fought, surpassed only by the Battle of the Bulge: the Battle of Medina Ridge, the Battle of Norfolk, and the Battle of 73 Easting.

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