Persian Gulf War or Gulf War (Jan-Feb 1991) war an armed conflict resulting from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In Aug. 1990 Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait, which it had long claimed. The UN Security Council called for Iraq to withdraw and subsequently embargoed most trade with Iraq. On Jan. 17, 1991, a U.S.-led coalition that included Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia, and other nations began a massive air war to destroy Iraq's forces and military and civil infrastructure. Iraq called for terrorist attacks against the coalition and launched missiles at Israel (in an unsuccessful attempt to widen the war and break up the coalition) and at Saudi Arabia. The main coalition forces invaded Kuwait and S Iraq on Feb. 24 and, over the next four days, encircled and defeated the Iraqis and liberated Kuwait. Kuwait and Iraq suffered enormous property damage, and the war led to unrest among Kurds and Shiites in Iraq. Iraq agreed to coalition peace terms but subsequently sought to frustrate the carrying out of the terms, particularly UN weapons inspections. In 1993 the U.S., France, and Britain launched several air strikes and a cruise missile strike at Iraq in response to provocations, including an Iraqi plan to assassinate former U.S. Pres. G.H.W. Bush. An Iraqi troop buildup near Kuwait in 1994 led the U.S. to send forces to Kuwait and nearby areas. Continued resistance to weapons inspections led to a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf. U.S. and British bombing raids against Iraq began again in Nov. 1998 and continued into 1999.