1983 Beirut barracks bombings

The 1983 barracks bombing was a major terrorist incident during the Lebanese Civil War . It occurred on October 23 , 1983 , in Beirut , Lebanon , where an international peacekeeping force was set up after the Israeli invasion in 1982 . The mushroom cloud after the attack.

In the Beirut barracks bombing (October 23, 1983 in Beirut , Lebanon ) during the Lebanese Civil War , two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces —members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon —killing 299 American and French servicemen. The organization Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombing, but that organization is thought to have been a nom de guerre for Hezbollah —or a group that would later become part of Hezbollah —receiving help from the Islamic Republic of Iran . Suicide bombers detonated each of the truck bombs. In the attack on the American Marines barracks, the death toll was 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines, 18 Navy personnel and three Army soldiers, along with sixty Americans injured, representing the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II , the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States military since the first day of the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War , and the deadliest single attack on Americans overseas since World War II. In addition, the elderly Lebanese custodian of the Marines' building was killed in the first blast. The explosives used were equivalent to 5,400 kg (12,000 pounds) of TNT . In the attack on the French barracks, the eight-story 'Drakkar' building, two minutes after the Marine attack, 58 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment were killed and 15 injured, in the single worst military loss for France since the end of the Algerian War . The blasts led to the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping force from Lebanon , where they had been stationed since the withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization following the Israeli 1982 invasion of Lebanon . Joint Hearing before the Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia of the Committee on International Relations .

The Beirut Barracks Bombings (October 23, 1983, in Beirut , Lebanon ) occurred during the Lebanese Civil War when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces—members of the Multinational Force (MNF) in Lebanon —killing 299 American and French servicemen. An obscure group calling itself ' Islamic Jihad ' claimed responsibility for the bombings. The chain of command likely ran from Tehran, to Iran's Ambassador to Syria, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur in Damascus, to IRGC commander Hossein Dehghan , in Beirut, as the Iranians drew on assets in Lebanon. Hezbollah, Iran and Syria have continued to deny any involvement in any of the bombings; even though, in 2004, the Iranian government erected a monument in Tehran to commemorate the 1983 bombings and its "martyrs". Suicide bombers detonated each of the truck bombs. In the attack on the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team - BLT 1/8) , the death toll was 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines , 18 sailors , and three soldiers , making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since World War II 's Battle of Iwo Jima , the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States military since the first day of the Vietnam War 's Tet Offensive , and the deadliest single attack on Americans overseas since World War II. Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast. Thirteen later died of their injuries, and they are numbered among the total number who died. An elderly Lebanese man, a custodian/vendor who was known to work and sleep in his concession stand next to the building, was also killed in the first blast. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 9,525 kg (21,000 pounds) of TNT . In the attack on the French barracks, the nine-story 'Drakkar' building, 55 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 3 paratroopers of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment were killed and 15 injured by a second truck bomb. This attack occurred just minutes after the attack on the American Marines. It was France's single worst military loss since the end of the Algerian War . The wife and four children of a Lebanese janitor at the French building were also killed, and more than twenty other Lebanese civilians were injured. These attacks eventually led to the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping force from Lebanon , where they had been stationed since the withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. [1] List of fallen and injured paratroopers by rank within regiment respectively of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment Bret Stephens, "Iran's Unrequited War / The mullahs are at war with us. Maybe we should return the favor", Wall Street Journal (October 22 2012). now.mmedia.me 30 October 2014 Geraghty, Timothy J.; (2009).

1983 bombings in Beirut, Lebanon Early on a Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut , Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War . The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians, and two attackers. The first suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb at the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team – BLT 1/8) of the 2nd Marine Division , killing 220 marines , 18 sailors and three soldiers , making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War . Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast; 13 later died of their injuries, and they are counted among the number who died. An elderly Lebanese man, a custodian/vendor who was known to work and sleep in his concession stand next to the building, was also killed in the first blast. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 12,000 pounds of TNT . Minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the nine-story Drakkar building, a few kilometers away, where the French contingent was stationed; 55 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and three paratroopers of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment were killed and 15 injured. It was the single worst French military loss since the end of the Algerian War . The wife and four children of a Lebanese janitor at the French building were also killed, and more than twenty other Lebanese civilians were injured. A group called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings and said that the aim was to force the MNF out of Lebanon. According to Caspar Weinberger , then United States Secretary of Defense , there is no knowledge of who did the bombing. Some analysis highlights the role of Hezbollah and Iran , calling it "an Iranian operation from top to bottom". There is no consensus on whether Hezbollah existed at the time of bombing. The attacks eventually led to the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping force from Lebanon, where they had been stationed following the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) withdrawal in the aftermath of Israel 's 1982 invasion of Lebanon . Geraghty (2009) , p. xv Phillips, James (October 23, 2009).

1983 bombings in Beirut, Lebanon On October 23, 1983, two truck bombs were detonated at buildings in Beirut , Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War . The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians and two of the attackers. Early that Sunday morning, the first suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb at the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team – BLT 1/8) of the 2nd Marine Division , killing 220 marines , 18 sailors and three soldiers , making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War . Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast. Thirteen later died of their injuries, and they are counted among the number who died. An elderly Lebanese man, a custodian/vendor who was known to work and sleep in his concession stand next to the building, was also killed in the first blast. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) of TNT . Minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the nine-story Drakkar building, a few kilometers away, where the French contingent was stationed. Fifty-five paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and three paratroopers of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment were killed and 15 injured. It was the single worst French military loss since the end of the Algerian War . The wife and four children of a Lebanese janitor at the French building were also killed, and more than twenty other Lebanese civilians were injured. A group called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings and said that the aim was to force the MNF out of Lebanon. According to Caspar Weinberger , then United States Secretary of Defense , there is no knowledge of who did the bombing. Some analysis highlights the role of Hezbollah and Iran , calling it "an Iranian operation from top to bottom". There is no consensus on whether Hezbollah existed at the time of bombing. The attacks eventually led to the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping force from Lebanon, where they had been stationed following the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) withdrawal in the aftermath of Israel 's 1982 invasion of Lebanon . Geraghty (2009) , p. xv Phillips, James (October 23, 2009).