25th Anniversary of the Beirut Bombing

At 6:22 a.m. on October 23, 1983, a truck carrying explosives drove into the United States barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The massive explosion, estimated to be the equivalent of six tons of TNT, leveled the four-story building, killing 241 Americans (most of whom were Marines) and wounding 60 more. A couple of minutes later, another truck carrying explosives was driven into the French barracks, leveling the eight-story building and killing 58 Frenchmen. An Islamic extremist group took credit for the bombings, but many believe Hezbollah took part in the attack.

The attack led to the withdrawal of the peacekeeping force from Lebanon a few months later. The success of the bombing also led many to believe that using terrorism against the United States would be a successful tactic.