Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

244 • HEZBOLLAHsocial services network for its followers as well as other Lebanese inthe areas of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon where it has mostof its forces deployed and also its largest concentration of followers.Using the nom de guerre Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah conducted alethal terrorist campaign against U.S. diplomats and civilians andAmerican, French, and Israeli military contingents in Lebanon. Itsvehicle bombings include the following major attacks: the 18 April1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in West Beirut, killing 61 people;the 23 October 1983 bombings of the U.S. Marine camp at Beirut airport,killing 241, and of the French contingent’s headquarters, killing74 servicemen; the 4 November 1983 bombing of the Israeli DefenseForces (IDF) headquarters in Tyre, killing 30 servicemen; the 9 September1984 attempted bombing of the U.S. embassy annex in EastBeirut, killing two Americans and 21 bystanders; and the 10 March1985 car-bomb attack killing 12 Israeli soldiers near Metulla.Following the withdrawal of U.S. and French multinational unitsfrom Lebanon, Hezbollah apparently switched to kidnapping andholding of hostages as its preferred tactic for ridding Lebanon ofWestern influence. Hezbollah masterminded the hijacking of RomeboundTrans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 847 on 14 June 1984from Greece to Beirut, where one U.S. serviceman found among thepassengers was killed. Women and children were released after sometime. The 39 remaining American men were held hostage until 30June. Amal assumed custody of these hostages from Hezbollah butrefused to release them until it received assurances that the UnitedStates would not retaliate against Lebanon for the hijacking. By doingthis, Amal inadvertently confused the situation and ended up drawingmost of the immediate blame for the hijacking upon itself, whileHezbollah obtained the main credit for obtaining the release of Shi’iteprisoners held in Israel’s Atlit prison. The dissension created by thisaffair led to an outbreak of fighting between Hezbollah and Amal followingthe release of the remaining TWA Flight 847 hostages. Syria,which had supported Hezbollah initially as a means of forcing U.S.and French forces out of Lebanon, threw its weight behind Amal andbegan forcing Hezbollah units out of the Bekaa valley.In 1985 at least four Americans (not counting the passengersseized in the hijacking of TWA Flight 847), one Swiss, two Britons,three Frenchmen, one Italian, four Soviets, and four Lebanese Jewswere abducted. In 1986 some 15 foreigners were kidnapped, and 10