Marine Barracks Bombing, Beirut
The Marine Barracks Bombing in Beirut occurred on October 23, 1983, when a suicide bomber drove a truck filled with explosives into the Marine headquarters at Beirut International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 241 U.S. Marines. Concurrently, a second attack targeted French troops nearby, killing 56. These attacks happened against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War, which involved multiple factions, including Christian and Muslim Lebanese groups, Palestinians, and foreign influences such as Syria and Iran. U.S. and French forces were part of a multinational peacekeeping effort amid escalating violence following Israel's military incursions into Lebanon.
The specific perpetrators of the bombing remain uncertain, with speculation pointing toward Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group, although no conclusive evidence has been established. Following the bombing, U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered the withdrawal of Marines to ships offshore, marking a significant retreat from direct military involvement in Lebanon. The bombing further underscored the complexities of the Lebanese conflict, which persisted in violence and instability for years, eventually leading to Syrian dominance in Lebanon until 2005. The incident reflected not only the dangers faced by foreign military personnel in Lebanon but also the intricate dynamics of Lebanese politics and sectarian strife during that era.
Marine Barracks Bombing, Beirut
Date: Oct. 23, 1983.
Place: Beirut airport, Lebanon.
Incident: A suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives into the entrance of the Marine barracks on the grounds of the Beirut international airport. The explosion killed 241 Marines. At the same time another bomber attacked French armed forces stationed nearby, killing 56.
Context: The American and French troops were part of a multi-national force dispatched in the context of a complex war inside Lebanon involving three factions: Christian Lebanese; Muslim Lebanese; and Palestinians, at a time when Israel had repeatedly invaded the country, Syrian troops were present, and pro-Iranian guerrillas were supported by forces from Iran.
Known or presumed perpetrators: As late as 2001 then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger declared that the United States did not have "actual knowledge" of who sent the suicide bomber. It is widely believed- but not proved-that Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, is the most likely suspect.
Impact: A few weeks after the attack President Ronald Reagan ordered the Marines to withdraw from Lebanon to ships off-shore. The Marines left without resolving the complex disputes among the local parties on the ground, and Lebanon continued in chaos until virtual rule by Syria was established in the 1990s-a rule that ended only in 2005.
The Incident
At 6:20 a.m. on Oct. 23, 1983, a yellow Mercedes truck entered the grounds of the Beirut international airport, taking a road leading toward the compound housing about 1,800 U. S. Marines. The troops were part of a multi-national force (France and Italy also had troops in Beirut) seeking to curb a virtual civil war in Lebanon. The truck crashed through a chain-link fence and into the lobby of the Marine headquarters. More than 12,000 pounds of TNT exploded, collapsing the four-story building and killing 241 Marines.
Only 20 seconds later a second truck exploded at the barracks of French troops, located two miles away. That bomb killed 56.
In the immediate aftermath rescue workers came under sniper fire.
By the end of February 1984 the Marines had been redeployed to U.S. Navy ships anchored off-shore, ending the U.S. ground presence in Lebanon. The internecine warfare among factions of Lebanese, influenced by Syria and Israel, continued unabated.
Perpetrators/Suspects
No organization or entity has ever been shown definitively to have been responsible for the attack. At the time, however, the United States was effectively providing military support for the Lebanese government, led by a Christian, against an array of Islamic forces, including troops from Syria and soldiers from Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
In a 2001 interview Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense at the time of the attack, said the United States did not know for certain who sent the suicide bomber into the barracks.
Some sources point to Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization believed responsible for a similar car bombing at the U.S. embassy in Beirut the previous April 18.
Broader Impact
Given the complex background of the conflict in Lebanon (see following section), the bombing of the Marine Corps barracks had no discernible impact, either in the short- or the long-run. The Navy was ordered to increase shelling of targets, but no ground force was dispatched to try to find the perpetrator of the bombing. A few months later President Reagan ordered the Marines to withdraw to ships offshore.
The mission of the Marines had been described in a variety of terms and in the end had not been entirely clear. Moreover, the mission apparently was perceived differently by Americans and by Lebanese. Indisputably, however, the Marines (aided by shelling from Navy ships offshore) were viewed as aiding the Lebanese Army. In 1987, after continuing internal warfare, Syria sent troops into Lebanon, effectively occupying the country for the next 18 years.
Some observers speculate that Iraq's Saddam Hussein may have drawn conclusions about the willingness of the United States to impose its will through military force in the region, given the American withdrawal without any resolution of the conflict the Marines were supposed to help solve.
History/Background
Lebanon was effectively created by France and Britain during the process of dividing the former Ottoman Empire after World War I. The population of Lebanon was divided among Christians, Sunni Arabs, and Shiite Arabs, and the French arranged a power-sharing agreement in 1943 under which Maronite Christians would hold the presidency, while the Prime Minister would be a Sunni and the Speaker of the Parliament a Shiite. This agreement was no longer viable three decades later since the Maronites, once 50% of the population, had declined to about 30%, and the Shiites had become a majority.
External events also impacted Lebanon. Jordan expelled the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1970, sending thousands of heavily armed Palestinian guerrillas into established Palestinian refugee camps on Lebanonese soil. The Palestinians demanded sovereignty over the camps, effectively becoming a nation within a nation, including their own armed force.
In 1976 Lebanon's Christian president asked Syria to send in troops to help quell fighting with the PLO, introducing yet another armed force into the country.
The Palestinian presence also included a variety of terrorist groups that conducted attacks on Israeli targets and invited Israeli retaliation. In 1978 the Israeli army invaded south Lebanon to root out terrorists. The Israelis withdrew later that year but were destined to return in larger force.
In the midst of this growing chaos many Lebanese believed the United States was active in Lebanese politics, albeit undercover. The United States had sent troops into Lebanon during civil disturbances in 1958 and effectively arranged installation of Army commander Gen. Fuad Shehab as president, blocking a second term for President Camille Chamoun. Twenty-four years later many Lebanese also saw a nexus between American military support for Israel and Israel's supply of weapons to Lebanese Christian militias in South Lebanon fighting to maintain control against Palestinian Muslims.
The crisis deepened in June 1982 when Israel again invaded Lebanon, pushing all the way to Beirut in an effort to end once and for all Palestinian use of Lebanon as a base for attacking Israel. The United States called for Israeli withdrawal, and during the summer the first suggestion arose that American troops might become part of a multinational effort to defuse the crisis.
U.S. Marines went ashore on Aug. 25, 1982, as part of such a force. Their mission was, among other things, to oversee the evacuation of the PLO from Lebanon (part of a negotiated peace agreement) and to protect the safety of Palestinian civilians in refugee camps. The Marines returned to their ships on Sep. 10.
Two days before the first Marine landing Maronite Christian Bashir Gemayel (leader of Christian militia forces) was elected president, but he was assassinated on Sep. 14, 1982, before taking office. In response Israel moved its forces into West Beirut.
Two days after the assassination Palestinian civilians living in two camps in Beirut, the Sabra and Shatila camps, were attacked over the two-day period Sep. 16-18; an estimated 700 to 800 died, causing international outrage. Christians under the protection of Israeli forces were widely blamed.
In response President Ronald Reagan called for a renewed multi-national force, including U.S. Marines. On Sep. 29, 1982, the first 1,200 Marines-they would eventually grow in number to 1,800-landed, along with French and Italian forces. Their mission was not clearly spelled out, but their presence did not put an end to the inter-communal conflict in Lebanon.
Over the next 12 months Marines increasingly came under attack. Their responses (including shelling from Navy ships offshore) were seen as supporting the Lebanese Army, controlled by a Maronite Christian president, Amine Gemayel, brother of the assassinated Bashir Gemayel. Thus the Marines became military actors in the de facto Lebanese civil war without any U.S. official ever having declared such a policy.
It was in this context that a suicide bomber drove toward the Marine barracks on Oct. 23, 1983.
Bibliography
McFarlane, Robert C. "Lebanon's Cedar Revolution: Be Careful What You Wish For," U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings; Jul. 2005, Vol. 131 Issue 7, p. 2.
Mark, Clyde R. and Alfred B. Prados. "Lebanon," Congressional Research Service: Issue Brief; 6/10/2005, p.1.
Nacos, Brigitre L. "The First War on Terrorism: Counter-Terrorism Policy During the Reagan Administration," (book review), Political Science Quarterly; Winter 2004-2005, Vol. 119 Issue 4, p. 690.
Klaidman, Daniel et al. "The Riddle of Hizbullah," Newsweek; 3/21/2005, Vol. 145 Issue 12, p. 37.
"Rumsfeld Remembers Lessons of Marine Barracks Bombing," FDCH Regulatory Intelligence Database; 10/23/2003.
Dodd, Scott and Peter Smolowitz. "1983 Beirut bombing began a new era of terrorism against Americans," Charlotte Observer, 10/19/2003.
Hosenball, Mark. "The Spector of Lebanon," Newsweek, 10/6/2003, Vol. 142 Issue 14, p. 8.
Nordland, Rod, et al. "The Lebanon Scenario," Newsweek, 9/22/2003, Vol. 142 Issue 12, p. 29.
"Suit Begins Against Iran in Marine Barracks Bombing," Washington Post, 03/18/2003.