Peacekeeping· Lebanon Multinational Force (Beirut Bombing)
Multinational Force in Lebanon-Phase I
The first Marine phase in Beirut was the operation that brought them ashore in late August 1982 to supervise the departure of Palestine Liberation Organization forces from the city.
After Israel's invasion of Lebanon had trapped the PLO in West Beirut, a negotiated agreement called for the fighters to be evacuated by sea under the supervision of a multinational force, and the Marines, with French and Italian contingents, landed to oversee the withdrawal at the port. The Marines secured the harbor area and monitored the orderly embarkation of thousands of PLO and allied fighters onto ships bound for other Arab countries. The operation was tense but went off without combat, and once the evacuation was complete the Marines reembarked, their initial mission accomplished. This brief, successful first deployment set the stage for the return to Beirut weeks later under the far more ambiguous and ultimately tragic "presence" mission.
Record no. 653