US cruise missiles slammed into a Baghdad family home of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein tonight during an attack that set buildings ablaze in the city and caused massive explosions.
Missiles flew in at low altitude and hit a string of targets across the Iraqi capital in a second wave of missile attacks after a dawn raid, witnesses said.
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Smoke and flames in the sky over Baghdad this evening.
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About 500 km to the southeast, US and British units crossed the border into Iraq from Kuwait at the start of an invasion that Washington says will topple Saddam.
Iraqi radio said that no one was hurt when missiles hit Saddam's family home. Fires broke out around the planning ministry in the centre of Baghdad and other blazes could be seen in the southeast of the city.
Fire fighters and ambulances were at the scene. One of the buildings housed an office of Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz.
The whole western bank of the Tigris river which cuts through the city was shrouded in smoke. Several government ministries are located on the west bank.
To the east of the city there were several explosions in the vicinity of the al Rashid military base.
The blasts came shortly after air-raid sirens sounded in Baghdad and anti-aircraft fire lit up the night sky.
Witnesses said that the attack was more intense than previous strikes early on today, which began Washington's war against Iraq.
Agencies