In 1983 fighting between Palestinian refugees and Lebanese factions reignited that nation 's long-running civil war . A UN agreement brought an international force of peacekeepers to occupy Beirut and guarantee security . US Marines landed in August 1982 along with Italian and French forces . On 23 October 1983 , a suicide bomber driving a truck filled with 6 tons of TNT crashed through a fence and destroyed the Marine barracks , killing 241 Marines ; seconds later , a second bomber leveled a French barracks , killing 58 . Subsequently , the US Navy engaged in bombing of militia positions inside Lebanon . While US President Ronald Reagan was initially defiant , political pressure at home eventually forced the withdrawal of the Marines in February 1984
destroyed the Marine barracks
1983 Beirut barracks bombings
Military history of the United States