[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[April 17, 2008]
[Pages 519-520]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the 25th Anniversary of the Terrorist Attack on the United 
States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon
April 17, 2008

    On April 18, 1983, the Islamic Jihad organization, known today as 
the terrorist group Hizballah, detonated a massive car bomb at the 
American Embassy in Beirut killing 52 people: 17 Americans and 35 
Lebanese citizens. The Beirut Embassy bombing was at the time the most 
deadly terrorist attack against the United States in our history. On the 
25th anniversary of that bombing, we mourn for those who perished, and 
we honor the sacrifice of their family and friends and of the many who 
were wounded. This occasion is a timely

[[Page 520]]

reminder of the danger our diplomats, military personnel, and locally 
employed staff bear in their service to the United States.
    Since the Beirut attack, we and citizens of many countries have 
suffered more attacks at the hands of Hizballah and other terrorists 
backed by the regimes in Tehran and Damascus, which use terror and 
violence against innocent civilians. All nations should condemn such 
brutal attacks and recognize that the purposeful targeting of civilians 
is immoral and unjustifiable.
    The people of Lebanon have spent the better part of three decades 
living under the threat of violence, assassinations, and other forms of 
intimidation. Despite this, they and their leaders continue to work for 
a peaceful and democratic future, even as Syria, Iran, and their 
Lebanese proxies seek to undermine Lebanese democracy and institutions. 
The United States will continue to stand with the Lebanese Government 
and the Lebanese people as they struggle to preserve their hard-won 
sovereignty and independence, endeavor to provide justice for victims of 
terrorism and political violence, and continue to seek the election of a 
president committed to these principles.