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How did the Special Air Service counter Scud missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War?
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special operations warfare
Members of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command training for water rescue, 2007.
During the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War, the Special Air Service (SAS) operated in the western desert of Iraq to counter Scud missile attacks directed at Israel and Saudi Arabia.1
While coalition air forces engaged in a broader effort to locate and destroy mobile Scud launchers, the SAS played a critical role in these operations by conducting specialized missions behind enemy lines to identify and neutralize the missile threats. These efforts were part of a larger strategic objective to prevent Iraq from drawing Israel into the conflict, which would have threatened the stability of the U.S.-led coalition.123