The Hill News

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld credits previous U.S. military success for having a cautionary effect on Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi.

Rumsfeld tweeted Tuesday:

There’s a reason Gadhafi isn't contemplating using a nuclear/radiological weapon today: He saw what happened to Saddam.

In 1991, following then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait and failed diplomatic attempts to resolve the situation, the U.S. with United Nations support led a missile and aerial attack on Iraq that lasted four weeks, followed by a brief ground incursion. Known as Operation Desert Storm, the military strike was considered a success, in part because of its brevity and minimal loss of lives, and in part because it achieved the goals outlined by then-President George H. W. Bush ! before a joint session of Congress on Sept. 11, 1990.

President Obama’s critics have said the president acted in Libya without congressional consent and without clearly defined goals for either the future of Libya or future U.S. involvement in the country.

The U.S.-led coalition imposed a United Nations-approved no-fly zone over Libya starting Saturday, March 19. U.S. Navy warships have launched Tomahawk missiles at Libyan air defenses and American warplanes have attacked military installations, but the president has defended himself, saying no U.S. ground troops have entered Libya.