US judge orders $1.68bn compensation for 1983 Beirut barracks bomb

A US judge has ordered Iran to pay $1.68 billion in compensation to the families of 241 US marines who were killed in a bombing in Beirut in 1983. The ruling was made by Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court in Washington DC, who found Iran responsible for the attack and ordered the compensation to be paid to the families of the victims.

The attack on the US Marine barracks in Beirut was one of the deadliest single attacks against US military personnel in history. The bombing was carried out by a suicide bomber driving a truck full of explosives, which destroyed the barracks and killed 241 marines, as well as 58 French peacekeepers.

The attack was widely believed to have been carried out by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that is backed by Iran. The US government has long accused Iran of providing support to Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region, and has sought to hold Iran accountable for the attack.

The compensation ordered by Judge Lamberth is the latest in a series of legal actions taken by the US government and the families of the victims to hold Iran responsible for the attack. Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in the attack and has refused to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

The ruling is likely to further strain relations between the US and Iran, which have been tense for decades. It remains to be seen whether Iran will comply with the court’s order or whether the ruling will lead to further legal action against Iran in the future.