The World - News from Feb. 8, 1987

Iraq said its jets hit nine Iranian cities in 232 combat missions, and the Iranian news agency IRNA said two Soviet-built Iraqi planes were shot down. The official Iraqi News Agency said cities struck included the holy city of Qom and Khorramshahr, where it said a Hawk surface-to-air missile battery was destroyed. Iraq said Tabriz, Esfahan, Boroujerd, Marivan and Arak were also hit. On the war front, Iran said its forces inflicted 700 casualties on the Iraqis in crushing a two-pronged counterattack against its bridgehead in the marshlands east of Basra.