A statement from the US air force in Turkey said the radar had targeted aircraft over the zone at 0820 GMT in the latest series of confrontations between forces of US and Iraq.

Meanwhile, AFP

reports from Kuwait City says crown prince and prime minister Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah today accused Saddam Hussein of still having `hostile intentions' towards Kuwait.

``Hostile intentions have always existed in the Iraqi regime, which has resorted to violence, even against its own people,'' Sheikh saad told Al-Rai Al-Aam

newspaper.

``Insulting Arab leaders is not a new thing. It is usual for Saddam to insult all those who do not subscribe to his politics,'' he added.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi leader urged Arabs to rise up against their leaders for their failure to condemn lastmonth's US and British air strikes on his country.