1 / 15139 Results
  • August 6, 1982

    Military Action:

    IDF jets, ground forces launch new attack, reportedly destroying apartment building housing PLO "operations room"; air strike hits heart of W. Beirut, 100 yards from Wazzan...

    Read more

Military Action:

IDF jets, ground forces launch new attack, reportedly destroying apartment building housing PLO "operations room"; air strike hits heart of W. Beirut, 100 yards from Wazzan's office; fighting rages near race track as IDF gains a block; IDF tank positions now in heart of residential areas of East Beirut; gunfire reported at nightfall in southeast part of West Beirut; IDF attacks shortly follow Wazzan announcement of "virtual agreement" on evacuation plan; Sharon visits East Beirut; IDF gunboats fire at residential areas swollen with Lebanese and Palestinian refugees; car bomb explodes outside devastated building, injuring and killing rescuers.

Casualties:

Casualties estimated at 10 (Red Cross) to 250 (PLO); Beirut radio puts toll at 100-150 (many of bodies pulled from rubble were women and children); thousands continue to flee West Beirut; damage to city water main limits water to East Beirut; 64 Syrian soldiers killed, wounded in fighting in Beirut.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israel continues to insist PLO leave Lebanon before international peacekeeping force arrives; Begin reportedly rejects US proposal for IDF pullback in letter to Reagan; Israeli official says any US sanctions could backfire, produce stronger IDF actions.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Wazzan announces "virtual agreement" between US, Lebanese, PLO negotiators on terms of withdrawal; Butros, Wazzan, Sarkis confer with Habib; PLO reportedly asks Syria to accept PLO evacuees.

Arab Governments: Saudi Arabia issues first implicit criticism of US support for Israel since invasion began, saying it "denounces" powers supporting, backing Israel; Hussein of Jordan reportedly willing to offer amnesty to PLO guerrillas expelled in 1970 to facilitate peaceful resolution of Beirut crisis (100 Jordanian women prevented from delivering petition to US embassy protesting IDF siege of Beirut); Egypt's ambassador returns to Tel Aviv.

US and Other Countries: French officer arrives to study logistics of deploying French troops.

UN: USSR calls for urgent meeting of Security Council, proposes resolution to impose arms ban on Israel (US vetoes, UK abstains, France and Japan support resolution).