1996 cruise missile strikes on Iraq
| Operation Desert Strike | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Iraqi no-fly zones conflict and the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War | |
USS Laboon launches Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iraqi air defense targets, 3 September 1996. | |
| Type | Cruise missile strikes |
| Location | Southern Iraq |
| Planned by | United States |
| Target | Air defense targets in southern Iraq |
| Date | 3 September 1996 |
| Executed by | United States Navy United States Air Force |
| Outcome | See Aftermath section |
The 1996 cruise missile strikes on Iraq, codenamed Operation Desert Strike, were joint United States Navy–United States Air Force strikes conducted on 3 September against air defense targets in southern Iraq, in response to an Iraqi offensive in the Kurdish Civil War.