Israel set for high alert

ISRAELI media reported the country would go on high alert from January 15 in anticipation that hostilities would erupt in the month following January 27, date of a report to the UN Security Council

Israel is worried Saddam will respond to any US strike by firing missiles at it, armed with chemical or biological warheads.

Some 1,000 US troops are expected in Israel this week for an exercise involving US-made Patriot missiles, which were largely ineffective in intercepting the 39 Scud missiles that Iraq fired at Israel in the 1991 Gulf War.