It's been 25 years since the start of Operation Desert Storm

The Persian Gulf War was one of the last conflicts between conventional military powers, pitting a US-led coalition against what was then the fourth-largest military on earth.

The US began its aerial bombardment on January 17th, 1991, and by the end of February, Saddam Hussein's army had been expelled from Kuwait, which the Iraqi dictator's forces had occupied for seven months.

Here's a look back at the start of the military campaign that ended the Persian Gulf crisis — and one of the biggest military triumphs in US history.

Deeply in debt from the Iran-Iraq war and desperate for a victory after that conflict's inconclusive end in 1988, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait on August 2nd, 1991. He then annexed the country, turning it into the 19th province of Iraq.

Iraq's aggression was a stunning breach of international norms, and put Iraq in a position to invade other oil-producing states. The US and its partners began preparing for war.

A diverse range of countries joined the US-led anti-Saddam coalition in the six months after the invasion, including several Arab countries.