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View Full Version : Families of Marines Killed in 1983 Beirut Bombing Call on Government to Hold Iran Acc



thedrifter
07-20-06, 01:42 PM
Press Release Source: Justice For Marine Families - Victims of Terrorism

Families of Marines Killed in 1983 Beirut Bombing Call on Government to Hold Iran Accountable for Hezbollah's Past Atrocities
Thursday July 20, 1:10 pm ET
Bombed Marine Unit Now Evacuating Americans Trapped In Lebanon

WASHINGTON, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The current flare-up of hostilities in Lebanon is for some American families a poignant reminder of events two decades ago, when Hezbollah militants attacked the U.S. barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Marines who had been stationed as an international peace-keeping force. Those Marines were members of the same unit that is currently helping to evacuate American citizens trapped in Lebanon.

"We understand only too well how Hezbollah uses terrorism to advance its radical goals," said Lynn Smith Derbyshire, whose brother was killed in the Beirut bombing. "Hezbollah must no longer be allowed to terrorize the citizens of the world, whether in Israel, the United States or in Lebanon."

Derbyshire is a member of a group called: "Justice For Marine Corps Families - Victims of Terrorism" that for years has pushed the U.S. government to hold Hezbollah's sponsors in Iran and Syria accountable for the actions of their proxy army.

In March 2003, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that when Hezbollah attacked the Marines in October 1983, the terrorist organization carried out the direct will of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Ministry of Information and Security. As punishment, the judge found Iran financially liable for the attacks.

The government of Iran retains commercial investments in the U.S. and is using profits made on American soil to finance more terrorism through Iranian- controlled banks that have invested Iranian funds in U.S. property. Legislation is pending in Congress that clarifies language in existing laws so that the families and victims of the 1983 Beirut bombing may target these illicit investments to collect on court-ordered damages.

"By passing H.R. 865 and S. 1257, Congress can stop Iran from funding more attacks by Hezbollah with money that is made right here in the United States," said Steve Forbes.

"Hezbollah militants killed our loved ones without consequence, and now they are attacking other nations," said Derbyshire. "We can stop this is by passing laws that will take action against Hezbollah for atrocities already committed."


Source: Justice For Marine Families - Victims of Terrorism

Ellie

thedrifter
07-20-06, 01:44 PM
Middle East Features
Background: The 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks
By DPA
Jul 20, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - When US Marines arrived in Lebanon on Thursday to help evacuate Americans, it was the first time they set foot in the country since a 1983 suicide attack on their Beirut barracks drove them out.

The US Marines came to Lebanon in 1982 as part of a multinational force trying to stabilize the country after seven years of civil war.

The Shiite militant group Hezbollah, branded in the West as a terrorist organization supported by Iran and Syria, emerged out of the violence to resist Israel's invasion of Lebanon the same year.

In April 1983, Hezbollah bombed the US embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people in a prelude to a much larger attack that would mark the beginning of the end of the multinational peacekeeping effort.

At 6:20 a.m. on October 23, 1983, a suicide bomber drove a yellow truck loaded with explosives equal to more than 5,000 kilogrammes of TNT through the entrance of the US base at Beirut International Airport.

The Mercedes truck sped past guards unable to stop it with small arms fire. When the suicide bomber reached the lobby of the headquarters, he detonated the explosives, collapsing the four-story building.

The attack killed 241 US military personnel, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three Army soldiers. Moments later, a similar attack blew up the French barracks, killing 58 French soldiers.

In February 1984, the multinational forces were ordered out of Lebanon.

Ellie

thedrifter
07-20-06, 01:45 PM
Disproportionate? <br />
By Hugh Hewitt <br />
Thursday, July 20, 2006 <br />
<br />
&quot;'CNN's Hezbollah Bureau --Evidently the Statute of Limitations Has Run on the 1983 Murder of 241 in the Beirut Marines Barracks.&quot; <br />
...