The skies over Baghdad may have been lit up with tracer fire and the sight of huge cruise missile explosions, but the only lights on the main Baghdad to Jordan highway were headlights from cars fleeing the country.
A hundred miles outside Baghdad, the unmistakable plume of smoke from a cruise missile strike snaked upwards into the sky. A mile further on, to the east of the highway, the aftermath of another huge explosion was easy to see. Both installations appeared to be communications centres.
Two hundred cruise missiles, costing more that £1 million each, have made more than a pinprick but less than the total devastation some expected. But these are early days in what may turn out to be a protracted attack on Iraq's military and political infrastructure. The aim of the bombing attack appears to be to diminish and degrade Iraq's ability to become seriously involved in weapons production for the foreseeable future.
Arriving early in the morning after the first night of bombardment, I had to pinch myself. Is this a war zone? Iraqis were apparently going about their business in their usual fashion - cars belching fumes and pedestrians crossing the street wherever they fancied. The streets were apparently normal but as the day wore on, traffic thinned out and people headed for safety. The Iraqi regime urged people to act normally and was slow to launch its usual public relations offensive. Television and radio stations carried martial music or film of Iraqi soldiers in battle against unidentified enemies.
Iraq's Foreign Minister, Mr Mohammed Saheer al-Sahaf, detailed what he said was a devastating blow to the country's civilian infrastructure. He said the first wave of cruise missiles hit a training centre for car mechanics, a factory producing brake fluid and a dry battery factory. Some of these sites were being monitored by the UNSCOM weapons inspection mission using camera equipment and sensing devices.
Calling the US and Britain "cheap liars", he said the bombing was illegal and immoral. "This aggression against Iraq is a crime against international law and the United Nations Charter. We will hold them responsible for their actions," he said.
The Iraqi authorities concede that the missiles also attacked the headquarters of the feared Security Police and the Military Intelligence Organisation head office. Other government and security forces offices and bases have been hit, although details have not yet been made available.
More than 300 UN staff remain in Baghdad. These are humanitarian workers and aid co-ordinators who have been ordered to stay indoors and to have their bags packed in case of the need for a lightning-quick evacuation. Earlier, the weapons inspectors from the UNSCOM mission left, with only a few hours' notice.
President Saddam Hussein toured sites hit by cruise missiles early in the morning, according to Baghdad Radio - one of the few radio stations still functioning in the country. One of the targets, according to the station, was the home of President Saddam's youngest daughter, Hala. The house has been destroyed, according to the station, although the claim is impossible to confirm.
President Saddam has coined the phrase "day of conquest" to describe the latest conflict. The US and Britain are calling the attack Desert Fox - although there is nothing fox-like or stealthy about an aerial bombardment.
For ordinary Iraqis, the bombardment may have been anticipated, but it still came as a shock. Khalil, who lives in an outlying suburb told me of his night of terror.
Before going to bed, he warned his wife and three children that something could be expected. "The children woke up when the anti-aircraft fire started. They were frightened. My wife was more worried this time than all the other times," he said. "The children were a little withdrawn. They were not shouting or things like that. They wanted to be comforted," Khalil said. "Then we heard the first Tomahawk missile. It came with a terrible loud whistling straight over the house and the children became very quiet. The other one came less than a minute later. It was terrible, but the anti-aircraft fire was the worst. It went on all night."
Like thousands of other residents, Khalil was preparing for a second night. This involved taping over windows and removing fragile items to presses and cupboards. Petrol is hoarded in a shed at the bottom of the tiny garden and large stocks of food, including rice, flour and cooking oil are stashed underneath the stairs. Khalil has put large boards in front of the window. Similar preparations were going on across the country. They were small, possibly even futile, attempts to protect themselves from the awesome power of the million pound projectiles from the sky.