RIYADH. Feb 9: US Defence Secretary Dick Cheney Is leaving little doubt that a US-led ground offensive against Iraq will be used to evict Saddam Hussein's huge army from Kuwait, the only question is when, report agencies.

Cheney met Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf. Commander of US forces in the Gulf, in the Saudi capital Saturday. Cheney and Gen. Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are here to discuss the prospects for a land campaign.

In a pep talk to US airmen on Friday. Cheney stressed that even in a ground war. the massive air bombardments will continue. He said Iraqis will suffer air strikes 'in the days and weeks ahead."

HoweVer. he rejected the idea that the war might be won by extended bombing alone, arguing that ground and amphibious forces will be required to flush Iraqi troops from dug-in defences in Kuwait. Cheney and Powell have side stepped questions on when the ground war will be-

Cheney and Powell are to return to Washington Sunday to report to President George Bush on the military situation

and prospects for opening a ground war.

In rousing remarks to airmen and women at an air base tn western Saudi Arabia, they used their first wartime visit to the region to stress they have

★ Cheney, Powell mum overground war timing, return to Washington today.

★ One-eighth Iraqi ground forces destroyed.

★ 8 more Iraqi soldiers surrender.

★ Scud hits Tel Aviv injuring 25.

+ Bombings on Basra continue.

★ Skirmishes on

Kuwaiti border.

★ 1000 French sorties on

Saturday.

no plans for a drawn-out confrontation.

■We hope to get this wrapped up as quickly as possible. We don't want to go

home before the Job's done, and it's not done yet." Cheney told flyers and crews of an F-III fighter-bomber wing.

Cheney and Powell also met the head of the exiled Kuwaiti government. Sheik Jabir al Ahmad al-Sabah. In the southwestern city of Talf.

After receiving an update on the war. the Emir requested that Kuwaiti ground forces be Included in the liberation of their homeland, something Cheney and Powell view as "essential." a US Defence Department official said after the session.

Meanwhile. Iraq said today it inflicted "significant" Allied losses tn men and equipment after it fired rockets across Its border with Saudi Arabia. Allied forces made no mention of any such attack.

"Our heroic units directed a series of strikes with field missiles at enemy positions across our border with Saudi Arabia, causing significant losses tn men and equipment on the enemy said." said the Baghdad Radio, monitored In Nicosia.

It said the Scud missile attack on Israel which injured 25 people and damaged houses and cars early today was to take revenge for Palestinian and Iraqi "martyrs."

"Our launchers returned safely to base after launching a destructive strike he added.

Allied aircraft carried out 250 air raids against Iraqi civilian and other targets on Friday night and Saturday morning, the spokesman said*

He gave no details on damage or casualties, but said some of the raids, "violated our eastern border." an apparent reference to Iran.

Tehran, has denied previous Iraqi charges that its airspace was used by the Allied planes.

Call to Saudis

Iraq's state-run radio has urged Saudi Arabia's Muslim population to revolt, strike at US interests and "kill those who betrayed you."

A commentary, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation, said that King Fahd had betrayed Muslim shrines in Saudi Arabia and that the time had come for revolution and Jihad (holy war).

8 Iraqis surrender

Reuter reports: Two Iraqi

officers drove into Saudi Arabia Saturday with their Japanese-made all-terrain vehicle flying a pair of white underpants as a flag of surrender.

One-eleventh destroyed

Senior US military sources said about 600 Iraqi tanks and more than 400 artillery pieces had been knocked out in the air war. representing about 11 per cent of Iraq's estimated strength in each category.

One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anomy-mtty. also contended that air attacks on supply lines had cut by 90 percent the flow of material to the more than 500.000 Iraqi troops in the Kuwait-southern Iraq theatre.

Another 14 Iraqi air force jets made the cross-border dash to Iran, bringing the total believed seeking sanctuary there to 147. the US com mand reported That would mean that about 40 per cent of Iraq's prewar air force has either been destroyed or is silting in Iran.

But M Javid Zarif. Iran's Deputy UN Ambassador said on the US-based Cable News Network on Friday that Iran had only about 20 Iraqi mill tary planes. He said Iran had

forced some planes back Into Iraq.

Reuter reports say, a US army helicopter patrol attacked and destroyed a mobile radar set up inside Iraq near its border with Saudi Arabia on Friday night.

The Apache helicopters also attacked an Iraqi patrol near the site when they came back later to check on damage <

A military communique broadcast on Baghdad Radio said Allied forces carried out 250 air raids on Iraq late Friday and early Saturday

The skies over Baghdad were quiet Saturday, in contrast with recent days. But travellers arriving from the southern port city of Basra said intensive air raids continued there on Industrial sites and communications Insiallations

The Defence Ministry newspaper. A) Qadisstya. said the Iraqi army was "fully ready*, for the expected Allied ground offensive on occupied Kuwait.

Military sources said Iraq was particularly active preparing defences along the Gulf casst. target of a possible seaborne assault. "We think they're concerned about that and that's good.’ one source said