Israelis test defence missiles in preparation for war on Iraq

Israel successfully test-fired its Arrow anti-missile defence system yesterday in a rehearsal for any Scud missile attack by Iraq in the event of an American-led war in the Gulf.

The Defence Ministry hailed it as "a major step in response to the evolving threat of ballistic missiles". This was the fifth test of the system but the first against four computer-simulated Scud missiles coming in simultaneously over the Mediterranean south of Tel Aviv.

In the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam Hussein launched 39 Scuds at Tel Aviv and other cities in central Israel. The American-made Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft rather than missiles, failed to stop them.

Israel Aircraft Industries developed the Arrow to fill the gap. The United States paid more than half the cost. The 7m-long (23ft) Arrow can travel at nine times the speed of sound and hit its target at an altitude of 30 miles. So far, two Arrow batteries have been deployed. But Israel is not relying on one system, however sophisticated. Four batteries of more advanced Patriots are also in place, with two more on the way from Germany.

Israeli experts judge the chances of a missile attack to be very slim this time. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who was Defence Minister until two months ago, predicted last night that President Saddam would have more sense than to use missiles. "He knows we are serious," Mr Ben-Eliezer said.

He didn't spell it out but the assumption is that if Israel, a nuclear power, were hit with non-conventional weapons, it would retaliate. President Saddam has fewer missiles and launchers at his disposal than he had in 1991. American and Israeli spy satellites are watching for any sign of movement.

Israel is also preparing itself for an attack, perhaps on its Dimona nuclear reactor, by Iraqi warplanes and the security services are on alert against any attempt to smuggle chemical or biological weapons into the country.

Meanwhile, other US allies in the region are seeking ways to avert a war in the Gulf. Abdullah Gul, the Turkish Prime Minister, was in Egypt yesterday on a tour to push for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

But the Turkish newspaper Milliyet photographed dozens of Turkish tanks at a disused airstrip in Kurdish-held northern Iraq. Turkish troops often stage raids into northern Iraq, pursuing Turkish Kurd rebels based there, but witnesses and military officials have reported more troops going over the border in recent weeks.

Turkey's main concern is that a break up of Iraq could lead to the creation of an independent Kurdish state in the north, and that Turkey's 12 million Kurds, who live mainly in the south-east, could breakaway and fragment the country. Ankara will be closely watching the fate of the oil-rich Iraqi cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, which could fall into Kurdish hands. Senior Turkish generals have threatened to seize the cities in the event of a war.

On Saturday, at a meeting with Syria's President, Bashar al-Assad, Mr Gul said, "We share the concerns of Syria. We will act together ... Iraq's natural resources belong to the people of Iraq. On this subject, we are of one opinion."