To: Hawkmoon who wrote (54648 ) 8/11/2006 12:50:18 AM From: regli Read Replies (1) | Respond to "And btw, the country was PERFECTLY STABLE until thousands of PLO members decided to base themselve in Lebanon and use it as their staging ground for perpetuating their war against Israel. Israel ran them off in 1983, and Hizbullah took their place.. all armed NOT by the Lebanese government, but by Syria and Iran." en.wikipedia.org "The Lebanon crisis of 1958 was a Lebanese political crisis caused by political and religious tensions in the country.President Eisenhower responded by authorizing Operation Blue Bat on July 15, 1958. The goal of the operation was to bolster the pro-Western Lebanese government of President Camille Chamoun against internal opposition and threats from Syria and the United Arab Republic. The plan was to occupy and secure the Beirut International Airport, a few miles south of the city, then to secure the port of Beirut and approaches to the city. The operation involved approximately 14,000 men, including 8,509 Army personnel, including a contingent from the 24th Airborne Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division (Germany) and 5,670 officers and men of the Marine Corps. The presence of the troops successfully quelled the opposition and the U.S. withdrew its forces on October 25, 1958. During the intervention, one U.S. soldier had been shot by a sniper and three others died in accidents."
