The Terrorist Attack That Killed The Most Marines Since Iwo Jima
Remembering the Beirut barracks bombing
In 1982, Lebanon was engulfed in a terrible civil war. The war was multifaceted and included Iranian, Palestinian, American, French, and Israeli backing and assets. The Americans and the French were there on a peacekeeping mission (though France was seen as a biased actor due to its previous involvement with Lebanon.) The Israelis were fighting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and were engaged in a full-scale invasion of the country with over 60,000 troops, hundreds of tanks, and aircraft. Meanwhile, the Lebanese people were fed up with foreign intervention and international meddling in their country's affairs. In short, the country was a dangerous mess.
This is why the United States had sent the Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU), an elite rapid response taskforce, to Beirut to help keep the peace and ensure that the country did not spiral further into chaos. Throughout 1982 and 1983, MAU units were rotated into and through Beirut as a peacekeeping force.
As anger continued to boil inside Lebanon, the United States became more of a target. As the public face of the international community, the United States proved to be a choice target for frustrated actors and terrorists. On April 18th, 1983, the American Embassy…
