18 April 2008
U.S. Marks Anniversary of 1983 Beirut Embassy Bombing
Bush condemns terrorism, reaffirms support for Lebanon
Washington -- President Bush marked the 25th anniversary of the 1983 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by calling on nations to condemn terrorism.
"Since the Beirut attack, we and citizens of many countries have suffered more attacks at the hands of Hizballah [Hezbollah] and other terrorists, backed by the regimes in Tehran [Iran] and Damascus [Syria], which use terror and violence against innocent civilians," Bush said April 17. "All nations should condemn such brutal attacks and recognize that the purposeful targeting of civilians is immoral and unjustifiable."
The April 18, 1983, embassy bombing occurred in the midst of a bitter civil war among Lebanon’s different political factions. The United States joined with Britain, France and Italy to deploy a 4,800-strong peacekeeping force to help stop the violence and ensure the safe departure of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) forces from Lebanon.
"In that day's attacks, we're reminded that evil is real, but so too is the courage and compassion of ordinary people," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a ceremony honoring the victims of the attack -- 17 Americans and 35 Lebanese embassy staff. At least 14 other visa applicants visiting the embassy and passers-by also were killed in the blast, and 120 area residents were injured.
"THE WINDOW BLEW IN ON ME"
"We believe that the immediate perpetrators were members of a Shi’a family from the Bekaa Valley under the direction of members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard," said Robert Dillon, who was serving as U.S. ambassador to Lebanon in 1983 and joined Rice at the ceremony.
Car bombings were not unusual in 1983 Beirut, recalled Dillon in a 1995 interview. But suicide bombers, such as the one who rammed a stolen embassy truck into the compound, detonating nearly 1,000 kilograms of explosives, were a rarity at the time. "In a practical sense, people were not prepared for that."
Dillon was on the eighth floor of the building at the time of the explosion, trapped under a brick wall as the floors below him pancaked into a heap of dust and ash. "The window blew in on me," Dillon said. "I didn’t hear anything, but I was lifted off my feet, knocked on my back. It was almost like a dream."
Colleagues rescued Dillon, and they set to work accounting for embassy staff. Among Dillon’s surviving staff that day was Ryan Crocker, who is now U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
"For 30-45 minutes it was fine. You’re going down the list checking names. And then all of a sudden you stop checking names. And there were these big gaps in the list," Dillon said. "After five hours nobody alive came out of the rubble," Dillon said.
After the embassy bombing, suicide attacks became more frequent, targeting the U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait and the relocated U.S. Embassy in Beirut once again in 1984. Hezbollah, which called itself the "Islamic Jihad Organization" at the time, killed 241 American Marines, soldiers, and sailors, as well as 58 French troops when they targeted the barracks of the Multinational Force in Lebanon. Since then, others, such as al-Qaida, have continued the practice, targeting U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and the United Nations headquarters in Iraq in 2003.
U.S. RENEWS COMMITMENT TO LEBANON
Over the past 25 years, the people of Lebanon have struggled to build a peaceful and democratic future and can count on continued, steadfast American support in their effort, says Bush.
"The United States will continue to stand with the Lebanese government and the Lebanese people as they struggle to preserve their hard-won sovereignty and independence, endeavor to provide justice for victims of terrorism and political violence, and continue to seek the election of a president committed to these principles," Bush said.
"Shortly after the 1983 embassy attack, President [Ronald] Reagan said, ‘This criminal attack on a diplomatic establishment will not deter us from our goals of peace in the region. We will do what we know to be right,’ Rice said. "Twenty-five years later, those words ring true."
The full text of Bush’s statement can be found at America.gov.
A transcript and video of Dillon’s remarks are available from The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Web site.
