Multinational Force in Lebanon
Multinational Force Beirut – Lebanon | |
---|---|
Force multinationale de sécurité à Beyrouth ( Foch off the coast of Lebanon, 1983; French Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters in Beirut, Lebanon, 1983; USMC Bell AH-1T SeaCobra helicopter on patrol outside the city of Beirut, May 1983; U.S. Marines on patrol in Beirut, April 1983; Israeli troops in Sidon, August 1982; Green Line, Beirut 1982 | |
Active | August 25, 1982 – March 31, 1984 |
Disbanded | March 1984 |
Countries | United States France Italy United Kingdom |
Role | Peacekeeping mission Interposition force[1] |
Garrison/HQ | Beirut, Lebanon |
Engagements | Lebanese Civil War |
Commanders | |
USMNF (Task Force 62) (August 1982 – February 1984) | Col. James M. Mead 32nd MAU (August – October 1982) Col. Thomas M. Stokes, Jr. 22nd MAU (November 1983 – February 1984) |
British Forces (February 1983 – February 1984) | Lt. Col. John de P. Ferguson 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (September 1983 – January 1984) |
French Forces (August 1982 – March 1984) | 11th Airborne Division, B. Gen. Jacques Granger (August – September 1982) 11th Airborne Division, B. Gen. Jacques Granger (September 1982 – January 1983) 9th Marine Infantry Division , BGen. Michel Datin (January – May 1983)31st Brigade, B. Gen. Jean-Claude Coulon (May – September 1983) 11th Airborne Division, B. Gen. Francois Cann (September 1983 – January 1984) 9th Marine Infantry Division, B. Gen. Datin (February – March 1984) |
Italian Forces (August 1982 – January 1984) | Paratroopers Brigade Folgore and San Marco Battalion, B. Gen. Franco Angioni (August 1982 – January 1984)[2] |
Insignia | |
Patches |
The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international
The four-nation MNF was created as an interposition force meant to oversee the peaceful withdrawal of the PLO.
The relatively benign environment at the beginning of the mission gave way to chaos as the civil war re-escalated following the assassination of President-elect Bashir Gemayel in September 1982. Subsequent political and military developments on the ground caused the MNF to be viewed not as a peacekeeper, but as a belligerent.[7] In early 1984, after it became apparent that the government of Lebanon was no longer able to impose its will on warring factions as they entered Beirut and hostilities renewed,[7] the MNF ended its presence mission in Beirut and went offshore before completely leaving Lebanon in July of the same year in the aftermath of the October 1983 barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. and 58 French servicemen.[8] It was replaced by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) already present in Lebanon since 1978.
Mission
The mission of the multinational force was to ensure the withdrawal of all foreign forces; aid, support and train the
The United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom contributed to the peacekeeping operations[10] pursuant to the MNF mandate which reads as follows:
The MNF (multinational force) is to provide an interposition force at agreed locations and thereby provide the MNF presence requested by the Government of Lebanon to assist it and Lebanon's armed forces in the Beirut area. This presence will facilitate the restoration of Lebanese Government sovereignty and authority over the Beirut area and thereby further its efforts to assure the safety of persons in the area and to bring to an end the violence which has tragically recurred.[11]
Responsibilities, activities, and composition
Under its mandate, the MNF provided a multinational presence requested by the Lebanese Government to assist it and the Lebanese Armed Forces in the Beirut area. The MNF was not authorized to engage in combat but might exercise the right of self-defense. The USMNF followed a policy of active self-defense in response to attacks and to improve its security. In order to enhance the safety of MNF personnel, authority had been given to U.S. naval forces offshore to provide naval gunfire and air support against any units in Syrian-controlled parts of Lebanon firing into greater Beirut as well as against any units directly attacking MNF or U.S. personnel and facilities.
The MNF was composed of the following units, which perform the functions indicated at the request of the Lebanese Government. Their precise functions within the MNF mission have varied over time and continued to be subject to adjustment in light of changing circumstances.
- One U.S. Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) was ashore at Beirut International Airport as a 1,400-man force which also provided external-security troops at U.S. diplomatic facilities in the greater Beirut area. Additional elements of the MAU in reserve, mainly combat support and combat service support elements, were aboard amphibious ships offshore Beirut. Pending the conclusion of consultations with the Government of Lebanon and Western allies, this force would be redeployed as soon as conditions warranted, with a tentative goal of completion within 30 days. As noted above, U.S. military personnel then with the MNF would remain on the ground for the protection of their remaining personnel.
- Two Italian battalions were in a 1,400-man force in southwest Beirut and also help protect the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The Italian Government had nearly completed the four-month process of returning the size of its force to that level from a high of 2,200 men. The Italians announced on Feb. 8 their intention to withdraw further forces but to leave a portion of their MNF contingent to protect the camp areas.
- The French battalions served as a force in and near the port of Beirut. The French had returned approximately 460 personnel from the MNF to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, which left them at a level of 1,600 men, well above their original troop commitment.
- One British mechanised reconnaissance squadron of 100 men withdrew from their position east of Beirut International Airport on Feb. 8 and embarked in a Royal Navy ship offshore until the situation clarifies.
In addition, each contingent of the MNF had naval and/or air support forces in the region.[12]
History
The United States had previously been
In April 1975, an attempt on the life of Pierre Gemayel, a prominent Maronite figure, sparked clashes between Palestinian and Christian militias and was widely seen as having set off the Lebanese Civil War.[15] Further instability ensued when Israel invaded Lebanon in June 1982, the invasion targeted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) bases in Beirut.
As the capital city
Joint Security Evacuation Operations
Beirut I
The
Over the course of the next 15 days, the evacuation went smoothly as the PLO streamed through the port facilities. The culminating event was the departure of PLO chairman,
Operation DIODON: Lebanon 1982–1984
On August 19, 1982; the
On May 19, 1983; the first elements of the
Italcon mission 1982–1984
The 2,300-strong
British Forces Lebanon (BRITFORLEB) 1982–1984
The involvement of British forces in the Multinational Force was agreed by the UK Government on 15 December 1982. The American request for UK military support posed a dilemma for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was wary of entanglement in the complex conflict in Lebanon. However, she agreed to a small, limited commitment as a token effort to support the UK-US 'special relationship'. The contingent of BRITFORLEB, codenamed Operation Hyperion, was limited to an armoured reconnaissance squadron equipped with Ferret armoured cars with, at most, 115 deployed personnel. British Forces were based in the East Beirut district of Regie Hadath. The contingent did not suffer any fatalities and was withdrawn, with the other multinational contingents, in February 1984.[19] BRITFORLEB consisted of three squadron-sized rotations from armoured reconnaissance units: C Sqn (Feb-Aug 1983) and A Sqn (Aug-Dec 1983) from the 1st Queens Dragoon Guards, and A Sqn (Dec 1983-Feb 1984) of the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers.[20]
Beirut II
In the aftermath of President-elect Gemayel's assassination on September 14, the IDF entered West Beirut, citing a need to prevent civil disorder.[3] While in Beirut Israeli troops allowed the Phalangist-affiliated Lebanese Forces (LF) to enter Sabra and Shatila to root out PLO cells believed located there, hundreds of Palestinian refugees were killed in the process. This incident prompted U.S. President Ronald Reagan to organize a new Multinational Force (MNF) with France and Italy. On September 29, this new force entered Beirut, with about 1,200 troops. Their stated mission was to help the new Lebanese government and army with stability.
Lebanon's military predicament began during the last week of June 1982, when the Maronite-dominated Lebanese Forces (LF) militia began to move steadily up the Beirut-Damascus highway toward Alayh, where it engaged militia elements of the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP). The LF, in an effort to establish its presence in new areas, moved into Saida and the western fringes of the Shuf by the end of the month. It was in the Shuf, under the watchful eyes of the IDF, that the LF and PSP maneuvered toward an inevitable confrontation. The significance of the LF advance is that it rekindled the Lebanese civil war.
The second deployment consisted of the 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment and U.S. Army Soldiers. They were followed by the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines in October 1982. The Battalion Landing Team's headquarters was at
Beirut III
On November 3, 1982, the 24th MAU replaced the 32d MAU. By November 15, a DoD team had completed a survey of Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) capabilities and requirements. Marine Mobile Training Teams (MTT) from the USMNF began conducting individual and small unit training for the LAF at BIA. Training of a LAF rapid-reaction force by the USMNF began during the week of December 21. The last significant event of 1982 was the beginning of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on December 28 calling for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. During the winter of 1982–1983, the MNF was successful in its mission. Though officially neutral, the force was responsible for preventing attacks from various Lebanese factions and the Israeli Army. The MNF increasingly came under fire from factions of the Lebanese Civil War. Foot and vehicle patrols were conducted routinely throughout Beirut in an effort to gather information and provide a visible presence demonstrating multinational force commitment to the people of Lebanon.
Beirut IV
On February 15, 1983, the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines relieved the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines in the U.S. sector. When harsh winter weather with low temperatures, high winds, and deep snows threatened Lebanese villages high in the mountains northeast of Beirut, the Marines were asked by the Lebanese Government on February 21 to provide a relief column to rescue Lebanese civilians stranded in Qatarba. The rescue mission was conducted February 22–24. Lt. Col. Don Anderson, the commander of Battalion Landing Team 2/6 led a column of nine thirty-ton amphibious tractors (AmTracs) and several wheeled vehicles across rugged mountain terrain, reaching Qatarba 16 hours after leaving the
On April 18, 1983, the U.S.
In April–May 1983 shuttle diplomacy on the part of U.S. State Secretary
Beirut V
On May 30, 1983, the 24th MAU relieved the 22d MAU. On June 25, USMNF personnel conducted combined patrols with the
On July 23, Walid Jamblatt, leader of the predominantly Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), announced the formation of a Syrian-backed "National Salvation Front" opposed to the May 17 Israel-Lebanon Agreement. In anticipation of an IDF withdrawal from the Alayh and Shuf districts, fighting between the Druze and LF, and between the Druze and LAF, intensified during the month of August. Druze artillery closed the BIA between and August 10 and 16, and the Druze made explicit their opposition to LAF deployment in the Shuf. The LAF also clashed with the Amal militia in Beirut's western and southern suburbs.
As the security situation deteriorated, USMNF positions at BIA were subjected to increased fire. On August 10 and 11, an estimated thirty-five rounds of mortar and rocket fire landed on USMNF positions, wounding one Marine. On August 28, 1983, the USMNF returned fire for the first time. On the following day, USMNF artillery silenced a Druze battery after two Marines had been killed in a mortar attack. On August 31, the LAF swept through the Shia neighborhood of West Beirut, establishing temporary control over the area.
On September 4, Beirut International Airport was again shelled, killing two Marines and wounding two others. As the LAF moved slowly eastward into the foothills of the Shuf, accounts of massacres, conducted by Christians and Druze alike, began to be reported. On September 5, a Druze force, reportedly reinforced by PLO elements, routed the Christian LF militia at Bhamdun and all but eliminated the LF as a military factor in the Alayh District. This defeat obliged the LAF to occupy Suq-Al-Gharb to avoid conceding all of the high ground overlooking Beirut International Airport to the Druze. USMNF positions were subjected to constant indirect fire attacks; consequently, counter-battery fire based on target acquisition radar data was employed. F-14 tactical airborne reconnaissance missions were conducted for the first time on September 7. On September 8, naval gunfire from offshore destroyers was employed for the first time in defense of the USMNF.
The National Security Council determined that the successful defense of Suq-Al-Gharb was essential to the safety of the USMNF. On September 14, an emergency ammunition resupply to the LAF was instituted. On September 19, Navy destroyers provided gunfire support of the LAF defenders at Suq-Al-Gharb. The battleship USS New Jersey arrived in Lebanese waters on September 25. A ceasefire was instituted that same day and Beirut International Airport reopened five days later. On October 1, 1983, Walid Jumblatt announced a separate governmental administration for the Shuf and called for the mass defection of all Druze elements from the LAF. Nevertheless, on October 14 the leaders of Lebanon's key factions agreed to conduct reconciliation talks in Geneva, Switzerland.
By the end of September 1983, the situation in Lebanon had changed to the extent that not one of the initial conditions upon which the mission statement was premised was still valid. The environment clearly was hostile. The assurances the Government of Lebanon had obtained from the various factions were obviously no longer operative as attacks on the USMNF came primarily from extralegal militias, and the environment could no longer be characterized as peaceful.
The image of the USMNF, in the eyes of the factional militias, had become pro-Israel, pro-Phalange, and anti-Muslim. After the USMNF engaged in direct fire support of the LAF at Suq-Al-Gharb, a significant portion of the Lebanese populace no longer considered the MNF a neutral force.[7]
Barracks bombing
The MNF suffered its greatest number of casualties on October 23 in an act of
Advance party from the 22d MAU arrived at Beirut on November 17. General Joy and his staff boarded the USS Guam, where he relieved Colonel Faulkner as 22d MAU commander at approximately 11:00. In early November, before he took over command of the MAU, General Joy was in Beirut to survey the situation. He was directed a number of actions to enhance the security of the U.S. Multi-National Forces ashore in Lebanon. Among these was a requirement to reduce the size of the BLT and MAU headquarters ashore to an essential few, with the "non-essential" Marines relocated on board Phibron shipping.
Beirut VI
Elements of BLT 2/8, fresh and eager after a successful operation in
A Seabee site survey team had been at the airport for two days, November 17–19, to review the Marine positions and determine how they could be improved and made safer. Meanwhile, the MAU headquarters had been moved to the airport maintenance building just east of its previous site. The new BLT command post was now on a piece of land between the coastal highway and the southern end of the airport's north-south runway. Northeast-southwest runways, were the artillery battery emplacements. Two rifle companies (F and G) were dispersed on the eastern side of the northeast-southwest runway within several hundred yards of LAF and Shia positions near Khaldeh, were the Marines were still subject to frequent sniper fire. Less than a week after November 23, General Joy again reported that he, his staff, and his commanders had dedicated their efforts to continuing the "presence" mission while doing their utmost to prevent a recurrence of the bombing and other terrorist actions. At the same time, he recognized that the terrorists might resort to such other tactics as mining the MAU area, and ambushing, kidnapping, or assassinating Marines. The MAU commander further reported that he had identified the Durrafourd Building, the U.S./U.K. Embassy, and the MAU/MSSG areas as the most likely terrorist targets, and that he had taken the steps he mentioned earlier to protect the Marines against terrorist attacks.[27]
Subsequent confrontations and withdrawal
On the same day, eight U.S. Marines were killed when Syrian-backed militias shelled the airport observation post.
In response to more fire, the battleship USS New Jersey fired on Lebanon on December 14 and 15. Meanwhile, Yasser Arafat and his PLO left Tripoli on December 20 on five Greek ships bound for Tunisia. The MNF was targeted again by bombs on December 21, with a truck bomb killing a French soldier and 14 Lebanese outside a French military base, and a bomb killing four at a Western-owned bar.
The captured U.S. crewman, Lt. Bobby Goodman, was released January 3, 1984, after negotiations with Reverend
The British were the first to withdraw, evacuating their forces by air with American assistance on January 2 after having a parade at their compound headquarters during which the portrait of
According to a 2019 study, the collapse of the Lebanese national army in February 1984 was the primary motivating factor behind the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Lebanon.[30]
Casualties
United States
The United States lost 265 servicemen in Lebanon, all but nine in hostile incidents, 241 were killed in the barracks bombing. 159 were wounded.
France
France lost more than 89 soldiers out of which 58 French Paratroopers in the barracks bombing[31] and many other soldiers from French regular and Foreign Legion regiments, mainly conducting combat operations, demining and training the Lebanese Armed Forces along with the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment.[17]
Italy
The Italians lost two soldiers, both to hostile actions.[32]
See also
References
- ^ "Chapter 5: Logistic Support for Peace Support Operations". NATO Logistics Handbook. NATO. 1997. p. 503.
- ^ Frank, Benis M. (1987). U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982–1984. Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, USMC. pp. 161–162.
- ^ a b "The Reagan Administration and Lebanon, 1981–1984". U.S. Department of State. Office of the Historian.
- ^ "The Lebanon War (1982)". Ynetnews. Yedioth Internet. November 30, 2008.
- ^ Zenko, Micah (February 2, 2014). "When Reagan Cut and Run". Foreign Policy.
- ]
- ^ a b c d Robert L. J. Long; et al. (December 20, 1983). Report Of The DoD Commission On Beirut International Airport Terrorist Act, October 23, 1983 (Report). U.S. Department of Defense.
- ^ Frank, Benis M. (1987). U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982–1984. Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, USMC. p. 139.
- ^ "Department of State Statement". September 13, 1982.
- ^ L'ONU et le Liban sur UN.org
- ^ "Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Larry Speakes". September 23, 1982.
- ^ "TEXT OF PRESIDENT REAGAN'S REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE MARINES IN LEBANON". The New York Times. February 16, 1984.
- ISBN 978-1-5076-8395-8.
- ^ "Camille Chamoun – president of Lebanon". Britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannic, Inc.
- ^ Pace, Eric (August 30, 1984). "Pierre Gemayel, A Courtly Chieftain of Christians". The New York Times.
- ISBN 978-1-4094-0228-2. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ a b c [1] National Support Association for French and Foreign Soldiers in Operations
- ^ a b Frank, Benis M. (1987). U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982–1984. Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, USMC. p. 24.
- ^ Hughes, Dr Geraint. "A Forgotten Intervention: Operation HYPERION and British Peacekeepers in Lebanon, 1982-1984". Defence-in-Depth. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "British Army Units from 1945 on". Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Hammel, Eric (1985), The Root, San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- ^ a b U.S. Marine Corps (1983), Command Chronology of 2d Battalion, 6th Marines January-June 1983, Quantico, VA: Marine Corps University Archives
- ^ Geraghty, Timothy (2009), Peacekeepers at War, Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, Inc., p. 19
- ^ Geraghty, Timothy (2009), Peacekeepers at War, Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, Inc., p. 20
- ^ "USS Moosbrugger (DD 980)".
- ^ Frank, Benis M. (1987). U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982–1984. Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, USMC. pp. 111–113.
- ^ Frank, Benis M. (1987). "US Marines in Lebanon, 1982–1984 [Chapter 9]". History and Museums Division Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. Retrieved 25 May 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Trainor, Bernard E. (August 6, 1989). "'83 Strike on Lebanon: Hard Lessons for U.S." The New York Times.
- ^ At the U.S. Naval Academy, in Alumni Hall, a music room was named for Lt. Lange, Class of 1979.
- ^ "When Do Leaders Change Course? Theories of Success and the American Withdrawal from Beirut, 1983–1984". Texas National Security Review. 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- UPI, March 31, 1984.
- ^ Butturni, Paula. "Italians begin final pull-out from Beirut." UPI, February 19, 1984.
Bibliography
- Frédéric Pons, Les Paras sacrifiés, Beyrouth, 1983–1984 (The Sacrificed Paras, Beyrouth, 1983–1984), Presses de la Cité, Paris 1994.
- "Report of the DOD Commission on Beirut International Airport Terrorist Act, October 23, 1983" (PDF). Federation of American Scientists. 20 December 1983. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Frank, Benis M. (1987). "U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982–1984". History and Museums Division, U.S. Marine Corps. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.