WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday blamed Iran for the 1983 terrorist bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut and said Tehran would have to pay damages to survivors and relatives.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said the suicide truck bombing was carried out by the terrorist group Hezbollah with the approval and funding of senior Iranian officials.
"Based on the evidence presented by the expert witnesses at trial, the court finds that it is beyond question that Hezbollah and its agents received massive material and technical support from the Iranian government," Lamberth wrote.
Under Lamberth's ruling, a special master will decide how much the 153 families who filed a lawsuit should collect in compensatory and punitive damages.