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Last update - 07:22 03/10/2008 Marines '83 Beirut chief: Mughniyeh killing 'overdue justice' By Amir Oren, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel News, Lebanon War  The assassination of senior Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in February was "long overdue justice," says Colonel (ret.) Timothy J. Geraghty, the commanding officer of the Marine unit devasted by the suicide bombing of its barracks near Beirut in 1983. In an article in Proceedings Magazine, the flagship publication of the U.S. Naval Institute, Geraghty says Mughniyeh was a key organizer in the two suicide bombings that day. The article marked 25 years since the attack. Minutes after the blast that killed 241 troops, 58 French soldiers were killed in an explosion at their base in Ramlet al-Baida. Advertisement Mughniyeh devised the tactic - later adopted by Al-Qaida - of simultaneous suicide attacks, Geraghty says, noting that Mughniyeh met Osama bin Laden in Sudan in 1996. Geraghty sees a direct correlation between the Americans' "timidity of response" to the 1983 attacks and the Islamists' attack on America on September 11, 2001. The Marine headquarters was destroyed at 6:22 A.M. when a truck rigged with around 10 tons of explosives and fuel exploded. "The coordinated dual suicide attacks, supported, planned, organized, and financed by Iran and Syria using Shi'ite proxies, achieved their strategic goal: the withdrawal of the multinational force from Lebanon and a dramatic change in U.S. national policy .... The cost to the Iranian/Syrian-supported operation was two suicide bombers dead," he writes. The bereaved American families meet on anniversaries of the attack at dawn at the Beirut Memorial in North Carolina. At another ceremony, in the Behesht Zahra Cemetery in southern Tehran, the two suicide bombers are also remembered, with chants of "death to America" and "death to Israel," writes Geraghty. This year, Mughniyeh will not be attending this ceremony, he notes. The 19-ton truck that rammed into the lobby of the Marine battalion had burst through a roadblock outside the base, but FBI investigators established that even had the guards shot the driver or vehicle outside the compound, the bomb's impact would have had similar results. The truck that killed the French soldiers exploded before reaching its destination, but the blast toppled the building's nine floors. On November 4, a suicide attack was carried out on the Israel Defense Forces' headquarters in Tyre, Lebanon, 10 days after the suicide attacks on the U.S. and French troops. This happened "even though the Israelis had none of the restrictions of a presence mission and nothing that would hinder their extensive intelligence capabilities." Although the suicide truck was stopped short of its target, there were dozens of fatalities (60) and casualties (30) at the Israeli base, Geraghty notes. "Unknown to us at the time, the National Security Agency had made a diplomatic communications intercept on 26 September (the same date as the cease-fire ending the September War) in which the Iranian Intelligence Service provided explicit instructions to the Iranian ambassador in Damascus (a known terrorist) to attack the Marines at Beirut International Airport. The suicide attackers struck us 28 days later, with word of the intercept stuck in the intelligence pipeline until days after the attack." Iran has been waging war against the United States for more than a quarter of a century, from the 1979 revolution to its support of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Shi'ite insurgents in Iraq, and its support of Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria against Israel. Related articles: Hezbollah terror chief Imad Mughniyah killed in Damascus blast Israel fears Hezbollah may try to 'settle score' over Mughniyeh U.S. judge fines Iran for killing Marines in 1983 Beirut bombing Bookmark to del.icio.us   Forgotten peace French FM: I fear distracted world may forget Mideast peace process. Settlers vs. Shin Bet Daniela Weiss: Shin Bet behind attack on left-wing advocate prof. Sternhell.   1.   The Islamic Republic of Iran is Not a Ligitimate State 04:03  |  MIKE 03/10/08   2.   HYPOCRICY STRIKES AGAIN 04:57  |  VIPER 03/10/08   3.   The shah represented the people!!! 05:36  |  Bob Berry 03/10/08   4.   How Do We Know He`s Dead? 06:51  |  Yosemite 03/10/08   5.   sad day for Lebanon and the world 06:57  |  lebanese american 03/10/08   6.   #5 leb am: I agree with you 100% 07:33  |  Zvi 03/10/08   7.   viper goes back to the year dot? 08:31  |  odles 03/10/08   8.   Ignorant Viper 08:32  |  Shtarka 03/10/08   9.   Bekka valley`s boiling kettle 08:50  |  allang 03/10/08   10.   VIPER The majority of targets for Islamic terrorists. 08:50  |  PETER SM 03/10/08   11.   attacks 09:15  |  colin 03/10/08   12.   Is this Journalism 09:47  |  Reporter 03/10/08   13.   VIPER did Hezballah give a warning before the bomb?Irgun did 10:47  |  PETER SM 03/10/08   14.   Shiites, Syrians, and Iranians he blames 10:48  |  truth or consequence 03/10/08   15.   This sort of "Justice" is the end of the world 11:13  |  Fritz T. 03/10/08   16.   #2 Viper 11:23  |  H 03/10/08   17.   It was stupid to send marines to Lebanon 11:58  |  Natallie Durson 03/10/08   18.   Oh boy! oh boy! 13:20  |  Persian Hero 03/10/08   19.   Durson that is a really stupid comment 13:29  |  Ilan 03/10/08   20.   durson`s soldiers 14:11  |  odles 03/10/08   21.   viper`s challenge 14:14  |  odles 03/10/08   22.   #12 PETER SM 14:39  |  Said 03/10/08   23.   HYPOCRISY STRIKES AGAIN 14:40  |  MICHAEL 03/10/08   24.   Ilan, you expect too much 14:42  |  Michael 03/10/08   25.   Thanks, Jimmy Carter, for giving us a murderous Iran 15:07  |  IW 03/10/08   26.   To 5 15:33  |  Another lebanese 03/10/08   27.   #25 16:47  |  Iamashamed 03/10/08   28.   Persian hero? # 18 18:55  |  David Nigel Braham 03/10/08   29.   Looks there΄ too many terrorist supports in this forum 19:07  |  JP 03/10/08   30.   Looks there΄ too many terrorist apologists in this forum 19:07  |  JP 03/10/08   31.   #27 the way you talking, the wrongdoe has its rights like any 19:12  |  JP 03/10/08   32.   it`s time to get the rest of the mugsies out there;it`s pay back 19:26  |  glenna 03/10/08   33.   Iran pisses on America and America 20:34  |  Leo 03/10/08   34.   Mugniyeh also Involved In Hijacking in "85 22:00  |  Gary 03/10/08   35.   Don`t worry. America will repay Iran one day. 23:33  |  Murray of Montreal 03/10/08   36.   #7, ODLES, lets move on? why don`t jews? 04:43  |  VIPER 04/10/08   37.   #10, PETER SM, do NOT reply anymore 04:46  |  VIPER 04/10/08   38.   #16, H, who cares what you think 04:51  |  VIPER 04/10/08   39.   Don`t know what to think! 09:51  |  Another Lebanese 04/10/08   40.   #35, No facts To Support Your Gut Feeling ! 21:07  |  Gary 04/10/08   41.   #25, Good Show ! 21:12  |  Gary 04/10/08   42.   #17, Clinton Should have Stopped Bin Laden 22:44  |  Gary 04/10/08   43.   Not to forget 00:32  |  Axel 05/10/08   44.   viper,funny you should talk about hypocricy after how you 02:35  |  terrornator 06/10/08   45.   gary #42 if ronald reagan wouldn`t have climbed in bed with bin 03:03  |  terrornator 06/10/08   46.   #45, You Do Not See Bigger Picture ! 16:37  |  Gary 06/10/08   47.   #44, TERRORNATOR, who did? 01:11  |  VIPER 07/10/08

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