Hezbollah Marks 'Martyr's Day' Recalling 1982 Suicide Attack
Translated & summarized from Abu Ali Express by baba
Hezbollah observes November 11 as "Martyr's Day," marking the anniversary of the 1982 Tyre Catastrophe, a suicide bombing that killed 91 people. An IDF investigation in July 2024 confirmed it was an Iran-directed attack, not a gas leak. The role of Ali Karaki, recently assassinated, and Imad Mughniyeh in the bombing was revealed, with Karaki's daughter detailing the meticulous planning. The attack is credited with initiating Hezbollah's suicide operations and causing significant Israeli casualties.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Hezbollah's "Martyr's Day" on Nov. 11 commemorates the 1982 Tyre Catastrophe suicide bombing.
- The 1982 attack killed 91 people, including 34 Border Police and 33 IDF soldiers.
- An IDF probe in July 2024 confirmed the 1982 bombing was Iran-directed.
- Assassinated commander Ali Karaki and Imad Mughniyeh were key figures in the 1982 attack.
- Karaki's daughter detailed the meticulous planning and execution of the bombing.
- The attack is considered the start of Hezbollah's suicide operations.
Hezbollah observes November 11 as "Martyr's Day," commemorating the first major suicide bombing attack against the IDF in 1982, known as the First Tyre Catastrophe. On that day, a car bomb driven by suicide bomber Ahmed Qasir detonated at the IDF's military government building in Tyre, Lebanon. The attack killed 91 people, including 34 members of the Border Police, 33 IDF soldiers, 9 Shin Bet agents, and 15 Lebanese detainees.
For years, Israel believed the incident was caused by a gas leak. However, in July 2024, 42 years after the event, an IDF investigation committee concluded it was an Iran-directed terrorist attack. This finding was revealed shortly after the September 27, 2024, assassination of Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah's southern Lebanon sector and a key founder of the organization, who was killed in a bunker strike that also targeted Nasrallah.
Karaki's significant role in the Tyre bombing, alongside Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah's former chief of staff, was uncovered following Karaki's assassination. Karaki's daughter described the meticulous planning and execution of the attack. The white Peugeot 504 used in the bombing was prepared in villages before Qasir drove it towards the target. Karaki and Mughniyeh followed in a separate car, with Mughniyeh driving and Karaki praying as the bomb car's brakes failed due to the heavy explosives, forcing the lead car to stop periodically.
Karaki's daughter recounted how her father and Mughniyeh switched places to pray, with Karaki taking the driver's seat to allow Mughniyeh to perform morning prayers. She emphasized the operation's precision and its significance in achieving a high number of Israeli casualties, which Israel itself acknowledged as 72 dead and 30 missing. She quoted her father stating that the attack initiated the era of suicide operations and was the most important of its kind in the history of the resistance.