October 23 marked the 40th anniversary of the Beirut barracks bombing, killing over 240 American military personnel; most fatalities were US Marines. The commandant of the US Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, delivered remarks at Jacksonville, North Carolina, to mark this deadly and tragic anniversary for America’s military. He also discussed current events, as Israel plans to invade Gaza in response to Hamas’ vicious terror attacks on October 7. American forces in the region have also been under rocket and drone attacks, with multiple facilities and bases being targeted. Two carrier strike groups are in the region, with anti-ballistic missile defense systems also being deployed.
It all points to the Biden administration preparing for what could happen once Israeli forces storm the Gaza Strip: a total regional war. Hezbollah has vowed all-out war against Israel should they invade Gaza. By extension, that means Iran, too. Could US Marines be deployed on the ground again? We don’t know, but Gen. Smith did offer this dire warning to the terrorists: if you target us, someone else will be raising your kids (via Military News):
The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric M. Smith stated yesterday during a 40th Anniversary Memorial Service for the Beirut Barracks Bombing which Killed 241 U.S. Servicemembers, regarding the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit which is currently in the Middle East and may… pic.twitter.com/9wkNd1J2u7
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 25, 2023
Forty years ago, a suicide bomber in an explosive-laden truck breached the Beirut International Airport and detonated their bomb, killing 241 American troops -- mostly from the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit -- who had deployed to Lebanon as a peacekeeping force during the country's civil war.
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The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, offered some of the most aggressive U.S. rhetoric about wider conflict in the region following Israel's declaration of war and bombing of the Gaza Strip in response to the surprise Hamas attack, which killed about 1,400 Israelis earlier this month.
"I'll tell you this -- the 24th MAU, Marine Amphibious Unit -- there's a unit just like it today that's in the area," Smith said, referencing the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which he said was "in the vicinity" of the Mediterranean and Red Sea in response to the conflict.
"They're there also to come in peace, if called, but they bring with them the weapons of war, if needed," Smith said to whoops and applause from the crowd. "For those that are in the area, if that MEU has to go in, if you target them, someone else will raise your children."
Amid the saber-rattling, there were other lessons to be learned from the 1983 bombing. It was the single deadliest day for the Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II and a tragic mark in the service's history.
U.S. officials have linked the 1983 attack to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant movement based in Lebanon. In a State Department commemoration Monday, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea said that the attack was "conducted with Iran's support."
Israel has launched multiple raids into northern Gaza, laying the groundwork for the larger invasion force. The Israeli government has set a date for the ground war, but they’re reportedly holding off until more anti-ballistic missile systems are set.
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