In The Iraq War Reader, Seymour M. Hersh wrote: “On Saturday, June 26, 1993, twenty-three Tomahawk guided missiles, each loaded with a thousand pounds of high explosives, were fired from American Navy warships in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea at the headquarters complex of the Mukhabarat, the Iraqi intelligence service, in downtown Baghdad. The attack was in response to an American determination that Iraqi intelligence, under the command of President Saddam Hussein, had plotted to assassinate former President George [H.W.] Bush during Bush’s ceremonial visit to Kuwait in mid-April. It was President Bill Clinton’s first act of war. Three of the million-dollar missiles missed their target and landed on nearby homes, killing eight civilians, including Layla al-Attar, one of Iraq’s most gifted artists.”
– Eds. Micah L. Sifry and Christopher Cerf, The Iraq War Reader, Page 140