U.S. warplanes strike air defense sites in southern Iraq

By From CNN National Security Producer Chris Plante

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. warplanes struck targets at an air defense site in southern Iraq Friday, "in response to recent Iraqi hostile threats against coalition aircraft monitoring the southern no-fly zone", the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The strikes were against an inactive air defense site in the eastern portion of the no-fly zone that U.S. military officials said could have become a threat to patrolling aircraft with little or no notice.

Fewer than a dozen U.S. strike aircraft were involved in the strike, according to Pentagon officials who asked to remain anonymous.

There have been more than 850 incidents involving Iraqi air defenses firing against U.S. or British aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone since December 1998 when the U.S. and Britain launched "Operations Desert Fox" against targets throughout Iraq.

This year, Iraqi aircraft have violated the no-fly zone more than 160 times and fired on U.S. or British aircraft more than 220 times, the Central Command said.