The Massacre of Beir Al-Abd 8-3-1985

So as not to forget
The Massacre of Beir Al-Abd
8-3-1985
The Memory of American Terrorism

The American war on those who appose its policies under the pretext of fighting terrorism was not a result of 9-11. Rather these events came to establish what was an American adopted policy of blood and violence in dealing with the countries that sought independence whether in Asia, Africa or Latin America, that can be fairly defined as the terrorism of the super power.

If the United States has been able sometimes to hide or camouflage some of its major crimes; its terrorist policies in Vietnam, Chile, Iran, Indonesia, Palestine, has been largely exposed, and left millions of victims.

In this context, we would like to present an example of these policies that is well documented with proofs and figures based on American sources. This example is the official decision taken in Washington to assassinate one of the most prominent Islamic personalities, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, the sponsor and guide to the resistance and awakening movement.

In this booklet, we are going to highlight this attempt that constituted a landmark in the history of the Islamic movement in Lebanon and an unforgettable event in its collective memory.

The American conception of confronting the Resistance

The Assassination Attempt: An Arab complicity and a preventive war

America holds the Sayyed responsible for its defeat in Lebanon

Sayyed Fadlallah: The battle is open between nations and the American

Imam Al-Khomeini offers his condolences to the great religious scholars and Hizbollah threatens with a "volcano".

The families of the Martyrs and The wounded: The Sayyed and the Southern Suburb are the sources of Islam and Resistance

The emergence of the Islamic movement in Lebanon, which flew the banner of liberation from Zionism and arrogance, and sought to thwart its schemes of confiscating the wealth of the nations, posing Lebanon as an important front in the battle of facing arrogant and Zionist threats.

As a result, America waged a war against the militant Islam that opens up on the causes of freedom and justice in the world. The American intelligence saw that the best way to defeat this Islam is to kill its symbols and personalities whose activities endanger its hegemony, even through the most horrific massacres, including that of Beir Al-Abd that killed scores of women children, elderly and young innocent people.

This horrible massacre occurred on Friday the 8^th of March 1985 at noon, thus opening through the assassination attempt a new phase of open confrontation in the region and leading to the birth of a new phase of Islamic revival that took part in the struggle on the basis of self-defence and championing the causes of the nation.

In the beginning of 1985, Israel had already taken its decision to withdraw from quite a large part of the Lebanese territories, returning back to the border strip to form a "security belt" that protects the northern settlements from any attacks.

It also decided that it would liquidate the leaders of the resistance, and destroy the villages that represent the forts of resistance.

Consequently, the beginning of that year witnessed many events, such as the car bomb that targeted the house of Mustapha Maarouf Saad, leading to the martyrdom of his daughter (13 years) and severely wounding him, that resulted in losing his two eyes.

In the beginning of March 1985, an explosion destroyed the Husseiniyah of the village of Marakah, which lead to the martyrdom of a number of citizens including Muhammad Saad (27 years). One of the field commands of Resistance.

The blood of the Marakah massacre had not yet dried when another operation took place, the huge explosion in Beir Al-Abd. But this time it was of a bigger size and more critical goals, since it targeted, the Grand Authority Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah. The bloody results were as follows: about 80 martyrs more than 40 of them were women and about 260 wounded, in addition to destroying four buildings and the damage of 20 buildings, as well as the destroying 20 cars and the damage of about 30 others.

Why was the massacre? And why the Sayyed targeted? And what made him such a valuable target?

According to US intelligence, the Sayyed become such a valuable target because he "received and blessed the man who blew up the marines barracks" (As-Safir 14-5-1985). That explosion led to the death of 245 American soldiers, forcing the US to withdraw its troops working in the multinational forces… Then America started an instigation campaign against the Mujahideen accusing some of their leading figures, especially His Eminence The Grand Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, whom it considered responsible for its defeat in Lebanon. That is why the intelligence agencies sought to revenge and made a list of names of the people to be assassinated, with the name of the Sayyed on the top of the list.

As for Israel, it too considered that Fadlallah represented a danger to Israel, being "The grand guide of Hizbollah" the major resistance movement at that time, thus the Sayyed become the major concern of more than one intelligence agency. His name became a scarecrow that horrified even the prisoners wardens in the enemy's jail as some of the prisoners reported.

Thus the interests of America and Israel intersected with the interests of some of the regional parties in doing away with that symbol.

The Centre Intelligence Agency issued several reports holding the religious Authority Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah directly responsible for a series of attacks on the American targets in Lebanon during the years 1983 and 1984, including what it considered, his "participation in taking the decision of bombing the marines' headquarters in Beirut.

But to avoid any additional attacks, the American senior Authorities decided that its best option is to resort to covert operations instead of its military forces such as using the USS New Jersey which was deployed near the Lebanese shore, or air raids that could incur a lot of danger and causalities, as happened in Biqaa, that might have a negative effect on the reputation of the US in the world.

In the light of this, the idea of training an undercover team that will spare the US, according to US informed sources, the possibility of a live coverage of a US military action that will hurt Washington's image. In addition, this action itself will increase the feelings of hatred towards the US. Thus a small covert team will be the least costly option (As-Safir 14/5/ 1985. The Washington Post-Report).

And since the US was afraid from the reaction against the Americans working in Lebanon, the intelligence sources saw that it would be better for this operation to be carried by the Anti-terrorist units and not the CIA (New York Times – As-Safir 4-5-1985).

Thus the American President, Ronald Reagan, endorsed towards the end of 1984, authorized the CIA to train and quip anti terrorist operations and groups in the Middle East, to hit possible terrorists before they are able to attack any US facilities in the region (As-Safir: 14/5/1985).

Thus the CIA and other military units began to finance, train, provide information and support several special units in friendly countries to confront terrorism (As-Safir 15-5-1985 – The New York Times report).

One of the officers responsible for forming these unites said: If we take terrorism seriously as we should, especially that we know that things are turning to the worse, it is necessary to fight since there no other option" (As-Safir 14/5/1985 – The Washington Post report).

Thus, Reagan and his administration officials have justified the establishment of such units that aim at killing the terrorists as a pre-emptive act of self defence more than being assassination operations…." "Killing a person who intends to kill you is not an assassination it is, rather, a policeman opening fire on someone who is pointing a gun at him.

The American Secretary of State, Shultz, had repeatedly called for a strong reaction against "terror" which threatens the very essence of civility, He added: As long as there is a threat, it is the right and duty of the states that respect the law to protect themselves".

Macfarlane made a statement two weeks after the assassination attempt in which he appeared to be affirming that there has been a counter terrorist activity. He said: We do not need an absolute confirmation that the targets have been used to support terrorism.

In a speech about terrorism and the future of the free community, he further added: whenever we get an evidence that as terrorist act is about to target us, we would be responsible for taking adequate measures to protect our citizens, their properties and their interests…

The use of force for self-defence is a legal act according to international law …" (As-Safir 14/5/1985).

This, in brief, is the American conception of fighting terrorism which reflects the arrogant mentality in dealing with the other.

Many media sources have exposed the nature of the relationship between the American intelligence and the Lebanese one. How it evolved, and how it was strengthened.

The New York Times report says: The American Administration officials agreed that they should confront the threats that endanger the American interests abroad, by means of pre-empting terrorist plans and by identifying the states that sponsor them. But they (those officials) were not planning to deploy Americans in other states, which means they have to depend on citizens of other countries".

In these circumstances, Sayyed Fadlallah became the common factor between the American and the Lebanese intelligences since both were haunting him, each for its own reasons. (As-Safir 15-5-1985).

The New York Times report tried to absolve the CIA from the accusation by saying: "The CIA did not decide what to do about Sayyed Fadlallah, while the Lebanese intelligence, and for its own reasons, could not take an action against him being an official institution, with the Shiites were a part of the government. Thus the Lebanese intelligence, hired some individuals from outside the force to execute the operation. (As-Safir 15/5/1995. The New York Times report)

To explain how the idea of assassinating Sayyed Fadlallah evolved, the Newsweek quoted Washington sources as saying: "The Lebanese Government, requested in 1984 the US aid in training an anti-terror forces, and according to a close source, this government wanted to form a strike force to punish the terrorists. After acquiring the approval of President Reagan, His Secretary of state, the National Security Advisor, and the CIA director, William Casey, the Agency was told to work with the Lebanese Army intelligence, headed colonel called Simon Qasis.

The plan was set at training 3 teams of five persons each. According to Lebanese sources two groups were created that were composed of eight Christians and Muslims members. The intelligence committees of both houses of the senate were briefed about it. (News weak – May 1985).

Thus informers and agents were recruited to gather information. A plan was laid for a car bomb to explode at a set time that cannot miss, that is when the Sayyed leaves the mosque after the Friday prayer…

In the set date, and when the Sayyed finished leading the prayers in which he gave a sermon to a group of women, and as he was heading home as usual, one of the women insisted that he should answer her personal questions. As he obliged, the sound of a huge explosion was heard and a big cloud of flames killed a lot of the passers-by who were mostly of the women coming out of the mosque. Thus the place turned into a big fire that was burning the area into hell and ruins, but the target was bigger than that... it was the “big terrorist" according to the CIA. But the Sayyed was saved by Allah's grace, and the march continued not intimidated by death and not bleeding by wounds. How could that be when the leader of the march said at the time: They are threatening us by death. (They do not know) that death is a habit of us, and that martyrdom is a gift from God.

Informed sources say that the source the Washington post quoted was one of the officers who participated in the operation. He said: "My agency is the one who executed the operation against Sayyed Fadlallah on the 8^th of March. I believe that it was done to show that we are strong… you have to stop terror by terror.” (As-Safir 15/5/1985).

The American Administration tried to deny what the Washington Post published, but the Agency adopted the operation unintentionally or even intentionally, when it described it as a "counter terrorist act” instead of an act of terror. This came in a time the American intelligence should have, according to one of the officials of the Reagan Administration officials, refrained from making any statement. Although the Agency hastened to deny, it was clear that it assumed the responsibility giving additional credibility to the Post's report on the Agency's actions that contradicted its official denial.

The New York Times described the CIA communiqué that denied its responsibility as irrelevant, since it said that it did not train those who executed the explosion, but did not deny that it was working with the Lebanese intelligence .

The Canadian Newspaper" the Montreal Gazette” agrees and says that the CIA claim that it did want the operation to take place, is merely a justification for a bad policy" (Al-Alam 25/5/1985).

The report the security department in Hizbollah published during the trial of those who executed the operation proved the untruthfulness of all these claims, and confirmed the strong relation between the Lebanese and American security agencies in their confrontation of the Islamic Movement.

It said: "In the aftermath of its defeats in Lebanon, America started to prepare the international public opinion for military actions to elevate its morale. It deployed its departments, and told, having got the agreement of its good friend, Amin Al-Jumayel – the Lebanese president, the head of Lebanese Army intelligence, Simon Qasis, to establish a special intelligence department that coordinated with the Lebanese Forces intelligence, under the supervision of two CIA officers.

This department was instituted and started its work under the name of "Department of external analysis and action". It was led by col. Adonis Nehmeh, who was specialized in strategic studies and was col. Qasis secretary. The special force was commissioned with several tasks including the assassination of Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah.

As for the involvement of one of the Arab intelligence agencies with the CIA in the assassination attempt of Sayyed Fadlallah, one of the American rare testimonies that was cited in Bob Woodard's Book, The Veil, Ran a follows: "The former head of CIA: William Casey, personally aided an Arab intelligence agency to execute three undercover operations: The first was helping Chad to confront Libya, the second was thwarting the Italian Communist Party electoral hopes in May 1985, and the third was the attempt of assassinating Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah on March 8,1985, by a car bomb that killed 80 civilians.

Woodward himself wrote in another place in the book: Thus, Arab party paid 15 million Dollars to finance the three operations, but when the assassination attempt failed this party tried to convince Sayyed Fadlallah, with Casey’s approval to stop the suicidal car operations against American and Western targets by giving food and scholarship aid to his followers that are worth 2 million Dollars.

Woodward himself wrote in the Washington Post in 1985 that the assassination attempt was part of a CIA operation that aim at training Lebanese units to execute pre-emptive attacks against terrorists.

But he pointed out that he did not know about the role of an Arab state that aided the American Intelligence in executing operations in various parts of the world, especially the support of the Contras in Nicaragua and the Unita in Angola.

Answering a question about what Woodward had said, Sayyed Fadlallah told the United Press: I do not have any tangible evidence that one of the Arab intelligence agencies are involved, but I also do not have any information that deny this. But we believe that, on the basis of the special relations between America and some Arab countries, it is possible that America could pressurize these countries to finance some of its terrorist operations.

His Eminence also denied strongly what Woodward had mentioned in his book that Washington has provided a two million Dollars in aid to his supporters in return of stopping suicidal attacks on American targets, challenging any intelligence network to prove this, even at a rate of one percent. (As-Safir 30-9-1987).

In one of his articles, the journalist Patrick Forstie, asserted that Sayyed Fadlallah denounces terrorism, for he says: we believe that Islam offers a better life. We seek to spread our ideas not by means of force but through thought and dialogue. We use force only against those who attack us.

He goes on to say: "Sayyed Fadlallah always announced that he is against suicidal attacks but not the martyrdom operations that are one of the pillars of Shiite Islam".

He then talked about the position of Sayyed Fadlallah both on the internal and general Islamic levels.

He says: He is the third personality in the Shiite Islam following Ayat-Allah Al-Khomeini and Ayat-Allah Al-Khuei in Najaf. But he remains the number one the religious position of the Shiites in Lebanon, thus influencing their major inclination and has a great impact through his widely heard ideas on the million of Shiites who constitute the major group in Lebanon… (Paris Match 22-3-1985)

Going back to what the American intelligence had planned for, the report of the security department of Hizbullah, considers that the reasons behind the assassination attempt to kill Fadlallah are:

With the rise of the Islamic movement against America and "Israel", and after the collapse of the legend of the invincible Zionist Army and its humiliating withdrawal, and after the undermining of the reputation of the greatest Satan, that was severely hit, as a result of bombing of the marines headquarters, and the American Embassy, the American Administration put on alert all its political security and media departments and agencies and begun a distortion and instigation campaign that aimed and isolating the Mujahideen and undermining their Jihad and symbols, especially Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, whom America held responsible for its defeat in Lebanon, and started to prepare the international public opinion for a military action that will save its low morale (The Security Department of Hizbullah Report).

The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah considered that what had happened represents a part of the struggle that was initiated by the American policy that announced war on Islam. H.E. said: "We have got used to the fact that the American Administration works through its local and regional intelligence agencies. Besides, America has announced that it has recently dedicated three hundred million dollars for fighting what it calls religious "terrorism" and "extremism" in Lebanon, meaning that this event is the beginning and that it will be followed with other similar acts." (An-Nahar Daily, 10/2/1985)

The Sayyed also considered that America, Israel and their allies, have committed this massacre to revenge and retaliate for the attacks that the Americans and the French had been subjected to in Lebanon, and this is what the media outlets have clearly revealed. He Eminence said: Everyday, we expect an Israeli and American aggression and we believe that the explosion that killed hundreds of victims in Beir Al-Abd is an American-Israeli aggression, and this explains the cheering of the Western media outlets and the comparison made by television channels in France and other countries between what happened in the [Southern] Suburb [of Beirut] and what had happened in the past to the Americans and the French, to suggest that this massacre represents a revenge."

He added: We think that America resorted to a covert action since it does not want to face the Southern Suburb directly or to attack it with shells, because that does not serve its political project in the region. As to Israel that has got used to the Nazi means, we consider that this act confirms with its policy, but there could be no justification for shelling people in a direct manner, since the [Southern] Suburb [of Beirut] does not contain military centers that "Israel" considers as bases for terrorism." (Al-Liwaa'. 15/2/1985).

Moreover, H.E. accused Israel of trying to revenge from the Southern Suburb and to undermine its security in cooperation with its allies. That is because the [Southern] Suburb [of Beirut] represents the basic source for the Mujahideen who face the Israeli projects in Lebanon, and this was revealed through his saying: The impression was that this massacre which can not be described by words was as big as Israel that tried to extend "the iron fist" policy, to the [Southern] Suburb [of Beirut] which it considers responsible for the daily supplier of pious Mujahideen."

His Eminence added: In fact, when we accuse "Israel", we are also accusing its allies who are the Americans and the rightist militias because they adopt one line and cooperate in such covert operations." (Ash-Shiraa', 18/2/1985).

Regarding the report of the "Washington Post" which revealed that the American and the Lebanese intelligence agencies had a hand in the explosions of Beir Al-Abd, H.E. said: The report of the "Washington Post" did not surprise us with any thing new. That is because we have precise information about the relation of the American intelligence, the Lebanese Phalangists and official intelligence agencies as well as the Israeli intelligence. When we issued a statement regarding the massacre, we said that it is linked with the American Israeli, and Lebanese intelligence agencies and we have relied on precise information and we did not issue consuming statements…"

His Eminence added: We consider that the battle is open between the peoples and the American Administration. We are ready for any possible action and we are not going to exonerate our positions because we want to preserve the freedom of Muslims and all the oppressed people in the world. When the massacre was committed, we said that they were frightening us with death, but we adopt the slogan of our ancestors who said: "Getting killed is our habit, and martyrdom is an honor to us bestowed by Allah."

He also considered that the timing of publishing this information in the "Washington Post" as well as the American attempt to deny any relation with the massacre through denying that it has trained the perpetrators, was an attempt to release the American intelligence agencies which feel that their relation with this issue has become exposed and perhaps the relative facts might will be revealed soon.

Regarding the suitable retaliation for this massacre, The Sayyed saw that: "the people who suffer from the American policy that is allied with the Israeli policy in the region are the ones who know how to retaliate, not in an emotional manner, but through a comprehensive plan that undermines the colonial policies. We should also know that we are not against the American people, since there are many people in America who do not agree with the policy of their government, but we are against the colonial policy of the American Administration that wants to turn the region into an American-Israeli protectorate. For that reason, we do not say that the American people, who do not have any relation with the spying and destructing intelligence agencies, are responsible for any project America might launch. That is because Allah has taught us in the Holy Quran that: Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burdens." (As-Safir 14-5-1985)

During the commemoration of the first anniversary of Beir Al-Abd explosion, The Sayyed said: Beir Al-Abd explosion is an evidence on the struggle between us and the American intelligence which tells us that the intelligence conspiracies are not an inevitable fate just as they tried to make us understand that it is impossible to defeat the Israeli soldier. Then, we saw that he is a rabbit who cannot leave his vehicle and that he was defeated. In addition, the myth of the American intelligences that could kill one person, but not a people or a spirit, has also been undermined. Therefore, we do not live the obsession of fearing from the CIA or its local agents. They are people who plan and are spread among us. They sometimes assume the presidency, the army command, or a ministerial position. The small intelligence agencies are the dirty little tools of the CIA."

His Eminence also demanded the trail of the strife-makers and considered that: "There is no room for concluding a truce with the Lebanese regime whose official and party intelligence agencies became a tool in the hands of the American Administration. Besides, some of them were captured, but there are still many other names within the Army Command and the State. Therefore not only the tools should be tried but also the ones who lead them. We want to try the regime, not for a personal revenge, but to protect our people and nation against all those who assumed leadership in this state…" (As-Safir 9-3-1986).

As for positions and reactions, political and trade union organizations, denounced the attempts. Religious scholars and officials also denounced this ugly crime and held America, Israel and their agents the responsibility.

At the vanguard of these who denounced the incident was Imam Al-Khomeini who offered his condolences to the Lebanese people and to Sayyed Fadlallah in a communiqué that said: I offer my condolences to the Lebanese people especially the great scholars for the catastrophes the Lebanese Muslim people were subjected to, especially the latest bombing that led to the martyrdom and wounding of many of brothers and sisters.

I ask Allah, the Most Exalted, to bestow on these martyrs, the martyrs of the path of right, especially those of the last incidents in Iraq and Lebanon, His Mercy and Forgiveness. (22 Jamadi: II 1406H).

Hizbollah also denounced the massacre and issued a communiqué that said: At a time our people face the Israeli fierce attack that is called the "iron fist" in Jabal Amel especially the crime of Maarakeh, and as our people, are blowing knock-out strikes to the Israeli presence, Israel instructed its agents to commit a new brutal crime to be added to its record of crime and terrorism. In this crime that killed tens of innocent men women and children as the newest method of revenge that America Israel and the phalanges have resorted to against the peaceful Muslims… Israel's and America's spilling of the blood of our people in Maraakeh and Beir Al-Abd will testify to the world public opinion that America is the protector of terrorism in the world. Its unlimited support to the usurping state of Israel and its allies in the region and its blind bias will cost it a lot, and will let defeats haunt it wherever it goes. The convoys of martyrs in the South and Beirut will turn into a volcano that will destroy all the pillars of arrogance and treachery and change all the equations that were drawn by the neo-colonialists. And as we extend to the Imam of the nation, the great Imam Al-Khomeini, with our congratulations for the fall of innocent martyrs and the safety of Hujjat Al-Islam and Al-Muslimeen, Sayyed Muhammad Fadlallah, we condemn this terrorist act that America is behind, and hold the Phalanges regime, represented by its president, who is executing the American – Israeli policies in Lebanon" (Al-Ahd- special Issue Jamad: II 1406H).

The head of the Islamic Unification movement, the late Sheik Said Shaban, said: this explosion will not serve the enemy's purpose, since the road of prophets is full of difficulties. All what the Quran has told us about is being realized in our lives. Fear, hunger, loss of wealth, loss of lives, and this will only make us more patient. The glad tiding has been sent to those who are patient on the right and we, Allah willing, will not be patient on falsehood or side with it… We send our condolences to the families of the innocent martyrs and ask Allah the Most Exalted to heal the wounded… We also congratulate His Eminence Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah for his safety, as one of the symbols of the right and the carriers of the human message (Al-Ahd 22 Jamadi II 1406H).

The responsible of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiyah in the South Sheik Salahedine Arka Dan saw that the crime is one of the forms of the Israeli war and an execution of the several threats of the political and military leaders of the Jewish state. They aim at making the Mujahideen kneel. But, and form our position in the South, we say that the battle will continue and that we will not be intimidated by any threats or crime whatsoever. We congratulate ourselves and the Muslim world by the safety of the His Eminence Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah. (Al-Ahd 22 Jamadi II 1406H).

His Eminence Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shamseddin sent "His warmest condolences to the families of the victims, and demanded that Israel should be condemned for its ongoing series of crimes against the Lebanese, and called for strengthening the spirit of solidarity between the Lebanese, (Al-Ahd special issue Jamadi I 1406 H/12-3-1986).

The Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Hasan Kaled, issued an appeal to all Lebanese urging them to preserve their unity of ranks in this difficult stage He said: this blatant aggression that if we denounce it would not make any difference, should be an incentive for us to protect our national and Muslim ranks from the filthy hands which seeks to create discord among us. We have to remain unified in a unified rank whatever the difficulties were… (Al-Ahd-special issue, Jamadi II, 1466 H/12-3-1985).

Al-Mufti Al-Jafari Al-Mumtaz, Sheik Abdulamir Qabalan said: Faced by this horrific massacre, and what had happened before it, against our people who chose the road of martyrdom to achieve victory. We say that our answer is more belief, patience and clinging to our position of rejecting all kinds of humiliation and defeat, and emphasizing our stand with the right, regardless, of scarifies we would have to offer…" (Al-Ahd-Speical issue, Jamadi II 1406H) 12-3-1986).

The massacre was also condemned by the information department of the Amal Movement. The Islamic Resistance Al-Jamaa Al- Islamiyeh,, the Islamic Women Movement, Al Lika’ Al-Islami, Harakat Al-Tawhid Al-Islami, the Secretariat General of the Arab League… as well as several political, leaders trade unionists, religious scholars and social activists. (An-Nahar 12-3-1985).

The communiqué of the Jabal Amal scholars that was issued during the investigations that aimed at finding who executed this crime, accused agents of the American intelligence , the Lebanese intelligence. Al-Jabha Al-Lubnanyieh (The Lebanese Front). Al-Qouwat Al-Lubnanyieh (The Lebanese Forces) and the Mosad, of the operation which targeted the great scholar Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, and which killed scores of innocent men, women and children and destroyed the vital facilities in the Southern suburb…

This operation aimed at eliminating Muslim symbols, and consequently, the entire Muslim existence, But Allah's grace saved the great scholar and revived the Islamic life and the Jihad spirit" (Al-Ahd, 5Jamadi II 1406/26/3/1986).

On the first anniversary of the Beir Al-Abd massacre, Sheikh Naim Kasim, delivered a speech on behalf of Hizbollah. He said: "The Martyrs we are commemorating were killed just because they said Allah is our Lord. The explosion was not meant to care if there were children, elderly or women. What was important is that it would kill and destroy…

It was not important how much it would kill and destroy. What was important was to kill one of the symbols of Islam to end the march. But Allah willed to protect His Eminence, revealing (the role) of America, Israel, the Lebanese Forces and the Lebanese official intelligence and those who put the bomb.

The Sayyed's safety offered a lot of condolence for the families of the martyrs and the wounded, following are some of the comments of these families:

Hajja Um Hassan Nouredin said: The Sayyed was the one who was intended. And my husband, May Allah have mercy on him, used to say: America and Israel will try to assassinate the Sayyed, I will, Allah willing, sacrifice myself and my children so that the Sayyed will stay alive, conveying the Message of Allah. And this indeed what had happened and the Sayyed remained alive and was not hurt".

When my children learnt that their father was martyred they shouted: Death for America; Death for Israel.

It was as if they knew who was really behind this bombing. I remember that one of them (seven years old) said: "When I grow up I want to do one thing only: I want to execute an operation against the Zionists.

Nameh Darwish, a brother to two martyrs who were killed in the explosion said: What is important is Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah had stayed alive, being the backbone of Islamic action in the country, and we vow that we will not deviate from this line" (Al-Ahd, 25 Jamadi: II 1406H/march 6,1986).

The father of the two martyrs Muhammad and Zainab Turmus said: They wanted to assassinate the Sayyed, and weaken us by killing as much as possible. They could have killed the Sayyed only, but they wanted to kill a large number of people with him, due to their hatred of Islam.

Sister Amal Alaedine who lost her right arm said: Praise be to Allah, this massacre increased my strength and determination. The handicapped is not the one who loses his hand but who is impaired in his mind and faith. We expected this and more from the USA. It wanted to kill the entire neighbourhood and not only the Sayyed, since it is the source of Islam, resistance and faith. But we do not care about whatever it does, even if it is a superpower.

We have our youth of the Islamic Resistance whom we are proud of before the entire world…(Al-Ahd, Rajab 23,1408).

One of the sons of Martyr Hasan Nouredin says: They wanted to put off the March of Islam, But they saw during the funeral how the masses expressed their anger against arrogance.

These massacres will not intimidate us. And as one if its martyrs said: My martyrdom is my joy. They are threatening us with death which will only make us stronger. Our people ought to understand the situation around them.

They have to know their enemy and not to be occupied with trivial things…" (Al-Ahd Rajab 23, 1408H).

Following the explosion, the Security Department of Hizbollah began an investigation and arrested a number of suspects.

The investigation took a long time and its results were published a year later by a special issue of Al-Ahd, the organ of Hizbollah.

The results were published in the beginning of Mach 1985, on the first anniversary of the massacre. It presented the achievement of finding the criminals to the leaders of the Resistance march and the woman whom the Divine Kindness sent to thwart the evil of the devils. The Report said:

To Ayatallah Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, the man America wanted to kill and Allah wanted to stay alive, And Allah's wish prevailed.

To the woman who insisted that the Sayyed would answer her questions in the mosque, thus delaying him.

The report contained a summary of the investigations with the members of the terrorist network the Hizb had arrested after the explosion, that included how the network was established, as well as the operations it executed and some information about each member.

The Lebanese journalist, Amar Nehmeh, said that the results of the investigation were revealed by Martyr Imad Mugnieyeh who introduced himself as one of the security officers who were in charge of the investigation. That pious young man was very concerned that the results of the investigation ought to published, and that the evidence that convict those criminals should be known by the public to learn about the objectively of the investigation.

We would like to end by a word to the Sayyed in which he describes the struggle between arrogance and the Muslim Movement as follows: As long as the front is one of a battle between freedom and colonialism, between hegemony and justice, it is natural to expect such means… since such forces that are… hostile to Islam and Muslims, do not have any other means to resort to…"