| Bombing of Lebanon | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofPalestinian insurgency in South Lebanon (theLebanese Civil War) | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Israel | |||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 1 aircraft shot down (claimed by Syria and the PLO; denied by Israel) | 123–300+ killed (Palestinian and Lebanese claims) | ||||
In July 1981, Israeliwarplanes began bombarding a number ofPalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) targets across Lebanon, mostly inBeirut and in the south of the country. This was in response to several Palestinian rocketattacks on northern Israel during theLebanese Civil War.
Buildings, bridges and other infrastructure across Lebanon were either destroyed or badly damaged, and according to Palestinian and Lebanese reports, the operation left from 123 to over 300 killed. Israel vowed to continue fighting the PLO until the latter ceased to launch rockets into Israeli territory, while the PLO said that the bombing would not go unpunished.
The air raids came in response to continuous Palestinian rocket attacks into northern Israel for a third consecutive day. Four women were injured when a Palestinian rocket hit amaternity hospital inNahariya, as well as three other town residents. This followed the significant amount of Soviet weaponry delivered to the Palestinians, includingKatyusha rocket launchers.[2][3] Air strikes were reported shortly after the Lebanese radio announcement that the country's leftist forces had called for the establishment of a SovietSA-6 anti-aircraft missile system in Beirut.[1]
The bombing of Beirut on 17 July lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, and was mostly centered on predominantlyMuslim districts, such as Rue Baghdadi in the Fakehani district west of the city. Israeli warplanes demolished a seven-story apartment building and four to five others were badly damaged. Israel said that the operation targeted the headquarters of PLO leaderYasser Arafat and of theDemocratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), claiming that the Israeli military had managed to destroy the offices of some of the guerrilla groups that form the PLO, including oneFatah and two DFLP offices. The PLO stated that Arafat's headquarters were unharmed and that only one DFLP office sustained some damage.[2][1]
In addition to Beirut, the port city ofSidon as well as theSabra and Shatila refugee camps were also attacked. A number of bridges across theLitani andZahrani rivers,[2] including a vital bridge south of Sidon,[1] Israeli gunboat shelling along the coast between the Saadiyat village in the south and the Zahrani oil terminal had destroyed 200 yards of the main coastal road in the area. TheTrans-Arabian Pipeline refinery was also damaged, and a part of it was in flames.[2][3]
Israel claimed that all of its jets returned home safely, while the PLO andSyria claimed that a plane had been shot down. ADamascus radio report said that the aircraft had been downed by Syrian ground forces in southeastern Lebanon, and that it had crashed nearMarjayoun.[2]
Precise casualty figures were not immediately available. There were both Lebanese and Palestinian fatalities, as well as aFrench volunteer, Nicolas Guillaume Royer, who was killed at a DFLP office. Two Lebanese newspapers published lists of the dead and wounded.[1] Palestinian reports claimed that at least 123 were killed and 550 were wounded, while Lebanon's police put the death toll in Beirut alone at around 90. Lebanon's UN spokesman said that 300 people or more may have been killed.[2]
Arafat said in a statement: "The bloodshed today will not go unpunished, and it will only increase our will to keep up the struggle against theAmerican andZionist criminals." Arafat also toldArab states that he needed "their swords, not their blessing". Israel stressed that it had acted in self-defense, withPrime MinisterMenachem Begin warning that theIsraeli military would no longer refrain from attacking Palestinianguerrilla targets, even if they were stationed incivilian areas. Begin added that the PLO had "no immunity" anymore, and that if civilians were hit, it would be their fault. At Lebanon's request, theUnited Nations Security Council held a two-hour emergency meeting, after which it demanded Israel to cease its bombing operations. TheUnited States announced it would delay the planned shipment ofF-16 fighter jets to Israel in response to the events.[2][3]
