US soldiers search debris after the terrorist attack blasted through four layers of concrete. AFP
US soldiers search debris after the terrorist attack blasted through four layers of concrete. AFP

1983 - US Marines bombed in Beirut

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Updated 19 April 2025
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1983 - US Marines bombed in Beirut

1983 - US Marines bombed in Beirut
  • The 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut by a pro-Iranian group killed 241 Americans and led to the US withdrawal from Lebanon

BEIRUT: At about 6:25 a.m. on Oct. 23, 1983, Beirut and its suburbs were shaken, as far as its mountainous regions, by what seemed almost a muffled explosion. 

People thought it was an earthquake, but seven minutes later the city and its surroundings were again shaken by a second, much more massive blast. 

I was working for the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir as a war correspondent at the time. Beirut was besieged, in its southern suburbs, the mountains and the Kharoub region, by clashes between the Progressive Socialist Party and its allies on one hand, and the Lebanese Forces on the other, in what was known as the “Mountain War.” 

The south of the country was also the scene of armed resistance by Lebanese fighters against the Israeli occupation. These fighters had links to leftist parties and previously with Palestinian factions. 

Multinational forces, including the Americans, French and Italians, had been stationed in Beirut following the withdrawal of the leadership and forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as a result of Israel’s aggression against Lebanon including its occupation of Beirut in 1982. 

Within a few minutes of the blasts, it became clear that the headquarters of the US Marines on Beirut’s Airport Road, and the base for the French contingent in the Jinnah area, had been hit by two separate suicide attacks. The unidentified bombers had stormed two fortified locations with trucks packed with tonnes of explosives.

How we wrote it




The day after the attacks, Arab News noted 120 Marine and 20 French deaths, a significantly lower figure than the final count.

The attack on the US base killed 241 American military personnel — 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers — and wounded dozens. The bombing of the French military site killed 58 French paratroopers and more than 25 Lebanese. 

The attacks were the second of their kind in Beirut; a suicide bomber had targeted the US embassy in Ain Al-Mraiseh six months earlier, on April 18, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans and 35 Lebanese. 

The damage was enormous at the headquarters of the Marines. Four layers of cement had collapsed into piles of rubble, fires were burning, and there was a lot of screaming amid the blood, body parts and confusion. This is what we journalists could see amid the chaos in the immediate aftermath, and what sticks in my memory more than 40 years later. 

The night before, a Saturday, the Marines had been partying, entertained by a musical group that had traveled from the US to perform for them. Most were still asleep when the bomb exploded. 

No group claimed responsibility for the bombings that day, but a few days later As-Safir published a statement it had received in which the “Islamic Revolution Movement” said it was responsible. 

About 48 hours after the bombing, the US accused the Amal Movement and its splinter group, Islamic Amal, led by Hussein Al-Moussawi, of being responsible for the attack. According to reports in local newspapers at the time: “The planning for the bombing took place in Baalbek, and the truck used was seen parked in front of an Amal Movement office.” 

The US vice president, George H.W. Bush, visited Lebanon the day after the attack and said: “We will not allow terrorism to dictate or change our foreign policy.” 

Syria, Iran and the Amal Movement denied any involvement in either of the bombings. 

Key Dates

  • 1

    Multinational US, French and Italian peacekeeping force is sent to Beirut to oversee withdrawal of Palestine Liberation Organization fighters.

    Timeline Image Aug. 24, 1982

  • 2

    US Marines withdraw.

  • 3

    Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel assassinated.

    Timeline Image Sept. 14, 1982

  • 4

    Christian militia, assisted by Israeli troops, massacres hundreds of Muslims in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.

    Timeline Image Sept. 16-19, 1982

  • 5

    US Marines return to Beirut.

  • 6

    17 Americans among 63 people killed in bombing at US embassy in Beirut.

    Timeline Image April 18, 1983

  • 7

    Truck bomb kills 241 US personnel and wounds 128 at Marines’ compound in Beirut. Similar device kills 58 French paratroopers stationed nearby.

    Timeline Image Oct. 23, 1983

  • 8

    US court concludes Iran ordered the attack and Hezbollah carried it out.

French authorities responded to the attack on its forces by sending eight military jets to bomb the Sheikh Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, where they said “Iranian elements are stationed.” They stated at the time “the raids killed 200 people.” 

An official from Islamic Amal denied that Iran had a compound in the Baalbek region, but added that his group’s association with “the Islamic revolution in Iran is the association of a nation with its leader, and we are defending ourselves.”

On Nov. 23, the Lebanese Cabinet decided to sever relations with Iran and Libya. Lebanese Foreign Minister Eli Salem said the decision “was taken after Iran and Libya admitted that they have forces in the Bekaa.” 

A report in As-Safir quoted a diplomatic source as saying: “Relations with Iran have worsened due to the illegal interventions, practices and activities it carried out on the Lebanese scene, despite many warnings.” 

The attacks on Oct. 23 were the strongest indication up until then of the shifting balance of regional and international power in Lebanon, and the emergence of a growing Iranian role in the civil war. 

Researcher Walid Noueihed told me that prior to 1982, Beirut had welcomed all forms of opposition, including the educated elite, referred to as the “velvet opposition,” and the armed opposition, the members of which were trained in Palestinian camps or training centers in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. 




The aerial view of the US embassy in Beirut following the explosion which killed 63 people, including 46 Lebanese and 17 Americans. AFP

He said the Iranian opposition to the Shah was present among these groups, and described Beirut as an oasis for opposition movements until 1982. However, this dynamic changed when Israel invaded Lebanon and besieged Beirut, resulting in the departure of the PLO under an international agreement that in exchange required Israel to refrain from entering Beirut. 

While the Palestinian factions departed from Lebanon, however, the Lebanese fighters associated with the PLO, most of them Shiites who formed the bases of Lebanese leftist parties, did not. 

The attacks on the US and French military bases led to the withdrawal of international forces from Lebanon, Noueihed said, leaving Beirut unprotected once again. Resistance operations grew, influenced by ideologies distinct from those of the traditional left, as groups such as Islamic Amal openly displayed slogans advocating confrontation with Israel. 

In 1985, Hezbollah was officially established as “a jihadi organization leading a revolution for an Islamic republic.” It attracted support from Lebanese and Palestinian leftist parties, particularly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

Noueihed said the emergence of Hezbollah coincided with a decline of existing symbols of national resistance, which seemed to signal an intention to exclude all other forces in the country from the resistance movement, leaving Hezbollah as the dominant party. 

The Iranian influence in Lebanon became evident during violent clashes between Hezbollah and Amal, which resulted in dozens of casualties and concluded with Hezbollah consolidating its control amid the presence of Syrian military forces. 

Beirut eventually became a city abandoned by the educated elite, as hundreds of writers, intellectuals, researchers and media professionals fled to Europe, fearing for their safety, Noueihed added. 

  • Najia Houssari is a writer for Arab News, based in Beirut. She was a war correspondent for Lebanese newspaper As-Safir at the time the US Marine barracks were bombed. 


Oil Updates — prices ease as traders assess US tariffs, OPEC+ output hike

Oil Updates — prices ease as traders assess US tariffs, OPEC+ output hike
Updated 2 min 9 sec ago
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Oil Updates — prices ease as traders assess US tariffs, OPEC+ output hike

Oil Updates — prices ease as traders assess US tariffs, OPEC+ output hike
  • OPEC+ to raise production by 548,000 barrels per day for August
  • Trump’s tariffs create uncertainty about global economy

SINGAPORE: Oil prices retreated on Tuesday after rising almost 2 percent in the previous session as investors assessed new developments on US tariffs and a higher-than-expected OPEC+ output hike for August.

Brent crude futures dipped 22 cents, or 0.3 percent, at $69.36 a barrel by 8:30 a.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 27 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $67.66 a barrel.

US President Donald Trump on Monday began telling trade partners, which included major suppliers South Korea and Japan as well as smaller US exporters like Serbia, Thailand and Tunisia, that sharply higher US tariffs will start Aug. 1, though he later said that deadline was not 100 percent firm.

Trump’s tariffs have prompted uncertainty across the market and concerns they could have a negative effect on the global economy and, consequently, on oil demand.

However, there are some signs current demand remains strong, particularly in the US, the world’s biggest oil consumer, which has supported prices.

A record 72.2 million Americans were projected to travel more than 50 miles (80 km) for Fourth of July vacations, data from travel group AAA showed last week.

Investors were bullish heading into the holiday period with data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission released on Monday showing money managers raised their net-long futures and options positions in crude oil contracts in the week up to July 1.

“Prompt demand remains healthy on the back of seasonal factors. The question remains if forward demand will maintain to absorb the larger-than-expected supply from OPEC+,” said Emril Jamil, a senior analyst at LSEG Oil Research.

Other signs of higher demand were seen in India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, with government data reporting fuel consumption in June was 1.9 percent higher than a year ago.

On Saturday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed to raise production by 548,000 barrels per day in August, exceeding the 411,000-bpd hikes they made for the prior three months.

The decision removes nearly all of the 2.2 million-bpd of voluntary cuts the group enacted. They are set to approve an increase of about 550,000 bpd for September when it meets on Aug. 3, according to five sources familiar with the matter, which would unwind all of the cuts.

However, actual output increases have been smaller than the announced levels so far and most of the supply has been from Saudi Arabia, analysts said.


China says US is in ‘no position’ to point fingers over Tibet issues

China says US is in ‘no position’ to point fingers over Tibet issues
Updated 5 min 15 sec ago
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China says US is in ‘no position’ to point fingers over Tibet issues

China says US is in ‘no position’ to point fingers over Tibet issues
  • The Dalai Lama is acqused of engaging in anti-China separatist activities

BEIJING: China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the United States was in “no position” to point fingers at the country on Tibet-related issues, urging Washington to fully recognize the “sensitivity” of the issues.

Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks when asked to comment on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement on the Dalai Lama’s birthday.

Mao said at a regular press conference that the Dalai Lama “is a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion,” and has “no right” to represent the Tibetan people.


In Hiroshima, search for remains keeps war alive for lone volunteer

In Hiroshima, search for remains keeps war alive for lone volunteer
Updated 11 min 13 sec ago
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In Hiroshima, search for remains keeps war alive for lone volunteer

In Hiroshima, search for remains keeps war alive for lone volunteer
  • Volunteers still descend on Okinawa from all over Japan for excavations
  • While many remains were unearthed in the decades following the war, witness accounts suggested there were more burial grounds

NINOSHIMA: Dozens of times a year, Rebun Kayo takes a ferry to a small island across from the port of Hiroshima in search of the remains of those killed by the atomic bomb 80 years ago.
For the 47-year-old researcher, unearthing even the tiniest fragments on Ninoshima Island is a sobering reminder that the war is a reality that persists — buried, forgotten and unresolved.
“When we die, we are interred in places like temples or churches and bid farewell in a ceremony. That’s the dignified way of being sent off,” said Kayo, a researcher at Hiroshima University’s Center for Peace who spends his own time and money on the solo excavations.
After the United States dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, instantly killing about 78,000 people and injuring far more, Ninoshima, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the hypocenter, became a field hospital. Within weeks, some 10,000 victims, both dead and alive, were ferried across the water. Many perished soon after, and when cremations could not keep up, people were buried in mass graves.
While many remains were unearthed in the decades following the war, witness accounts suggested there were more burial grounds. The son of a resident informed Kayo about one area on the island’s northwestern coast in 2014 and from there, he saved up funds and began digging four years later.

NO CLOSURE
In searing heat last weekend, Kayo cut through overgrown brush to return to the spot where he had left off three weeks before. After an hour and a half of digging, he carefully picked out two thumbnail-sized bone fragments from the dirt — additions to the roughly 100 he has unearthed so far.
Every discovery brings home to him the cruelty of war. The pain was never as raw as when Kayo found pieces of a young child’s jaw and tooth earlier this year, he said.
“That hit me really hard,” he said, his white, long-sleeve shirt soaked through with sweat. “That child was killed by the bomb, knowing nothing about the world ... I couldn’t come to terms with it for a while, and that feeling still lingers.”
One day, he plans to take all the fragments to a Buddhist temple, where they can be enshrined.
Kayo’s drive for repeating the gruelling task year after year is partly personal.
Born in Okinawa, where some of the bloodiest battles during World War Two were fought, Kayo himself has three relatives whose remains were never found.
Volunteers still descend on Okinawa from all over Japan for excavations, and because the poison ivy in the forests there is prohibitive for him, Kayo returns the favor on Ninoshima instead.
As long as traces of the dead keep turning up, the war’s proximity is palpable for Kayo.
“People today who don’t know about the war focus only on the recovery, and they move the conversation forward while forgetting about these people here,” he said.
“And in the end, you’ll have people saying, ‘even if you drop an atomic bomb, you can recover’ ... There will always be people who try to justify it in a way that suits them.”


HM Alchahine storms to victory at the UAE President’s Cup in Hamburg

HM Alchahine storms to victory at the UAE President’s Cup in Hamburg
Updated 26 min 14 sec ago
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HM Alchahine storms to victory at the UAE President’s Cup in Hamburg

HM Alchahine storms to victory at the UAE President’s Cup in Hamburg
  • Race marks leg 7 of the prestigious UAE President’s Cup series, now in its 32nd edition

ABU DHABI: HM Alchahine (France), a 4-year-old Purebred Arabian gelding owned by Helal Alalawi (France), stormed to victory in The UAE President’s Cup over 1,600 meters at Hamburg’s Horner Rennbahn on Sunday.

The race marked the seventh leg of the prestigious UAE President’s Cup series, now in its 32nd edition.

It was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, vice president of the UAE, deputy prime minister, and chairman of the presidential court.

The series highlights the UAE’s continued commitment to preserving and promoting the global stature of Purebred Arabian horses, a key pillar of Emirati heritage, the Emirates News Agency reported.

Staged in conjunction with the 156th edition of the historic German Derby, the UAE President’s Cup drew a crowd of nearly 30,000 spectators and featured a record prize purse of almost $293,500, making it the richest Arabian race in German history.

Trained by Jean-Francois Bernard and brilliantly ridden by Cristian Demuro, HM Alchahine powered home to claim his second UAE President’s Cup win, following his earlier triumph in the Italian leg.

He crossed the finish line decisively, clocking a winning time of 1 minute, 45.42 seconds, further cementing his reputation on the European circuit.

Finishing second was Al-Wakrah (France), owned by Al-Shaqab Racing, trained by Jean-Loup de Mieulle and ridden by Olivier d’Andigne. Al-Zeer (France), owned by Mohamed Fahad A.H. Al-Attiyah, finished third under trainer Francois Rohaut and jockey Adrie de Vries.

Also in the field were Papillion T (Holland), representing the Netherlands and trained and owned by Gerard Th. Zoetelief; Al-Zwair (France), also owned by Al-Shaqab Racing; and Djafar (France), owned by Abubaker S.A. Kadoura, with both horses showcasing competitive spirit.

The race and prize ceremony were attended by Dr. Peter Tschentscher, first mayor of Hamburg, Ahmed Al-Attar, UAE ambassador to Germany, Faisal Al-Rahmani, general secretary of the Higher Organizing Committee for the UAE President’s Cup, and Ahmed Al-Samarrai, president of the German Arabian Horse Association.

The winning trophy was presented to Nasser Hilal Al-Alawi, a representative of the owner, in the presence of the trainer and jockey, amid a celebratory crowd.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Rahmani congratulated the winning team and said they were “extremely proud of the success achieved in Hamburg.

“The outstanding organization, strong participation, and warm reception all reflect the UAE’s growing impact on the global Arabian horse racing scene, a vision driven forward by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed.”

He added: “These results reaffirm the strength of UAE-owned horses in international racing.

“The UAE President’s Cup continues to act as a cultural bridge, introducing European and global audiences to the history, values, and noble legacy of Purebred Arabian horses.”


Rescuers on horseback, with dogs search for Texas flood victims

Rescuers on horseback, with dogs search for Texas flood victims
Updated 30 min 29 sec ago
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Rescuers on horseback, with dogs search for Texas flood victims

Rescuers on horseback, with dogs search for Texas flood victims
  • About 30 volunteers on horseback joined mounted police from Austin to support rescue efforts in four towns along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County

HUNT: Volunteers on horseback and others with rescue dogs are combing riverbanks alongside authorities in central Texas, searching for victims of catastrophic floods that have killed more than 100 people.
Rescuers in inflatable motorboats also searched Monday for bodies near Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp, where 27 campers and counselors died after being swept away by floodwaters.
Another team collected the children’s belongings from flooded cabins marked by mud lines exceeding five feet (1.5 meters) high.
About 30 volunteers on horseback, many wearing cowboy hats, joined mounted police from Austin to support rescue efforts in four towns along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
Michael Duncan, 55, rode Ranger, his dark brown horse, along the river, supporting rescue efforts that have deployed hundreds of searchers along several miles of the waterway.
“Obviously (on horseback)... we can gain more ground. We can get to some areas where people can’t get to as easy,” Duncan told AFP.
The horses easily navigate the hilly terrain, undergrowth and debris left behind after the rain-swollen floodwaters receded.
Perched atop Ranger, Duncan said that the “height advantage” allowed him to scan across the mounds of debris.
Volunteers on foot also scoured the area, detecting foul odours from undergrowth that could indicate decomposing animals or human remains.
They dug through earth piled near trees, using pointed sticks to probe mounds for any signs of bodies.
During their search, they found children’s swimming goggles and a football.
Tom Olson, a rescue dog trainer, deployed his eight-year-old Belgian Malinois, Abby, to assist the search.
Olson, 55, compared the dog’s search abilities to a useful tool, “just like underwater sonar boats, drone, aircraft.”
“The dog will be able to rapidly find a potential victim... lowering the risk to the people that are out here actually trying to do the search and rescue,” he told AFP.
Olson said the work to recover victims’ bodies involved “a mental debt” and “emotional debt” but was necessary to bring “closure to the families that lost (people), as well as closure for the rescuers.”
Electric company crews also worked to restore power poles and cables destroyed by the floods as the Guadalupe River receded to its normal course.
Duncan, the mounted volunteer, said the searches filled him with “a lot of sadness” but added: “It’s also great to see how many people come out... and most everybody is doing this for free.
“That’s pretty inspiring to see.”