Maarakeh bombing
| Maarakeh massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Iron Fist policy | |
 Ruins of the mosque | |
| Location | Maarakeh, Southern Lebanon |
| Coordinates | 33°16′N 35°18′E / 33.267°N 35.300°E |
| Date | 4 March 1985 |
Attack type | Bombing, mass murder |
| Deaths | 15 |
| Injured | 55 |
| Perpetrators | Israel Defence Forces |
The Maarakeh massacre took place on 4 March 1985, when Israel Defence Forces bombed a local mosque in the southern Lebanese village of Maarakeh.[1] 15 people were killed, including 2 members of Amal, and 55 were injured.[2][3]
Background
Israeli withdrawal plan
After it invaded Lebanon in 1982, Israel established a three-stage withdrawal plan. In February 1985, it implemented the first stage and relocated its forces south to the Litani river. On 3 March, one day before the attack, the cabinet approved the second stage.[4]
2 March raid
On 2 March, 800 Israeli soliders raided Maarakeh. They searched the village's "Hussainiya" while keeping the residents outside, and arrested 17 men.[5]
Attack
30 hours after Israeli troops had left, a thirty-pound bomb planted on the second floor of the Hussainiya exploded, during a meeting held to discuss the distribution of the relief and food supplies.[5] Mohammed Saad and Khalil Jradi, two members of the Amal Movement, were among the 15 victims.[5] Within an hour of the explosion, IDF troops raided the main hospital in Tyre, sabotaged its assets and arrested the director and 8 blood doners.[4][6][7]
Aftermath
Amal leader Nabih Berri called Saad and Jradi "martyrs" and denounced the massacre, saying: "[Israel] pretend they don't want anything from Lebanon more that their peace. This is the Israeli peace." President Amine Gemayel summoned envoys of the United States, the Soviet Union, China, France and the United Kingdom to seek their support as members of the UN Security Council for a complaint against Israel.[8][6] Prime Minister Rashid Karami said that Israel has "lost its nerve and panicked", and Hezbollah criticized the US and Israel.[4]
Israel denied its involvement. At first, IDF officials said that the explosion was caused by a car bomb, which was denied by UNIFL spokesman Timur Goksel,[4] and later claimed that it was part of an "internal conflict inside Amal".[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Border attack on Israeli troops shows rising Shiite ire". Christian Science Monitor. 1985-03-11. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ "Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Lebanon document - Letter from Lebanon". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ East, Americans for Justice in the Middle (1980). A J M E News.
- ^ a b c d Boustany, Nora (1985-03-05). "Blast Kills 12 In S. Lebanon". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ a b c Wright, Robin (2001-12-04). Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-3342-2.
- ^ a b c Hijazi, Ihsan A.; Times, Special To the New York (1985-03-05). "BLAST IN LEBANON KILLS 15 IN MOSQUE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ Petran, Tabitha (1987). The struggle over Lebanon. Internet Archive. New York : Monthly Review Press. ISBN 978-0-85345-651-3.
- ^ Facebook; Twitter; options, Show more sharing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Email; URLCopied!, Copy Link; Print (1985-03-05). "South Lebanon Blast Kills 2 Shia Leaders, 10 Others". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
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External links
- Iron Fist policy
- Attacks on Shiite mosques
- Massacres in religious buildings and structures
- Massacres of the Lebanese Civil War
- 1985 in Lebanon
- War crimes in Lebanon
- March 1985 events in Asia
- 1985 crimes in Lebanon
- 1980s murders in Lebanon
- 1985 murders in Asia
- Violence against Muslims
- Massacres of Muslims
- Zionist terrorism