View source for 1986 United States bombing of Libya

{{Short description|US April 1986 military operation in Libya}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = 1986 United States bombing of Libya<br /><small>(Operation ''El Dorado Canyon'')</small>
| partof            = the [[Cold War]]
| image             = USF-111 Libya1986.JPG
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = An American [[48th Tactical Fighter Wing]] [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111F]] aircraft takes off from [[RAF Lakenheath]] in April 1986 to participate in an air strike against [[Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|Libya]].
| date              = 15 April 1986
| place             = [[Libya]]
| result            = * Ground targets destroyed<ref>Martel, William C. ''Victory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy'', p. 162. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.</ref>
*  Failed assassination attempt against Gaddafi<ref name="o645">{{cite book | last=Frey | first=B.S. | title=Dealing with Terrorism: Stick Or Carrot? | publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing, Incorporated | year=2004 | isbn=978-1-84542-146-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9hrJwYUZvowC&pg=PA28| page=28}}</ref>
* Failed Libyan [[Scud]] missile response
| territory         = Libya renamed from [[Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya]] to [[Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya]].
| combatant1        = {{flag|United States}}
| combatant2        = {{flagicon|Libya|1977}} [[Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|Libya]]
| commander1        = {{flagicon|United States}} [[Ronald Reagan]]<br>{{flagicon|United States}} [[Caspar Weinberger]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Libya|1977}} [[Muammar Gaddafi]]
| strength1         = 
| strength2         = 
| casualties1       = 1 [[General Dynamics F-111|F-111]] shot down<br />2 aircrew killed<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-sad-story-of-karma-52-the-only-f-111-lost-during-operation-el-dorado-canyon/|title=The sad story of 'Karma 52', the only F-111 lost during Operation El Dorado Canyon|first=Dario|last=Leone|date=14 April 2019|website=The Aviation Geek Club}}</ref><br>'''Libyan claim:'''<br>3 aircraft shot down<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-libyan-scud-attack-on-lampedusa-and-the-italian-retaliation-against-gaddafi-that-never-was/|title=The Libyan Scud Attack on Lampedusa and the Italian Retaliation against Gaddafi that never was|first=Dario|last=Leone|date=21 September 2019|website=The Aviation Geek Club}}</ref>
| casualties2       = 45 soldiers and officials killed<br />3–5 [[Ilyushin Il-76|IL-76]]s destroyed<br />14 [[MiG-23|MiG-23s]] destroyed<br />2 helicopters destroyed<br />5 major ground radars destroyed<ref>Pollack, Kenneth M. ''Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness 1948–1991'', University of Nebraska Press, 2002<br />1 French Embassy was hit</ref>
| casualties3       = 15 Libyan civilians killed<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-02-09 |title=U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya {{!}} April 14, 1986 |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-14/u-s-bombs-libya |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref>
| campaignbox       = 
| casus             = 
}}
{{Muammar Gaddafi series}}
The [[United States Air Force]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] carried out air strikes, code-named '''Operation El Dorado Canyon''', against [[Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|Libya]] on 15 April 1986 in retaliation for the [[West Berlin discotheque bombing]] ten days earlier, which U.S. president [[Ronald Reagan]] blamed on Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]]. There were 40 reported Libyan casualties; one U.S. plane was shot down. One of the claimed Libyan deaths was of a baby girl, reported to be Gaddafi's daughter, [[Hana Gaddafi]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Hilsum | first = Lindsey | title = Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution | publisher = Faber and Faber | location = London | year = 2012 | isbn = 978-0571288052 }}</ref> However, there are doubts both as to whether she was really killed, or even if she truly existed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/26/hana-gaddafi-daughter-mystery |title=Gaddafi's daughter Hana: dead or a practising doctor?|first=Peter |last=Walker |date=26 August 2011 |website=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=7 June 2016}}</ref>

==Origins==
[[File:Meeting with Bipartisan Congressman on U.S. Air Strike Against Libya.jpg|thumb|President [[Ronald Reagan]] consults bipartisan Congressional leaders about the strike.]]

Libya represented a high priority for [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] shortly after his 1981 inauguration. Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]] was firmly anti-Israel and had supported [[Palestinian fedayeen|Resistance organizations]] in the [[Palestinian territories]] and [[Ba'athist Syria|Syria]]. There were [[Libya and weapons of mass destruction|reports that Libya was attempting to become a nuclear power]]<ref name="riskreport">{{cite journal|title=Libya Has Trouble Building the Most Deadly Weapons |url=http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/libya/trouble.html |journal=The Risk Report |volume=1 |issue=10 |date=December 1995 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420212851/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/libya/trouble.html |archive-date=20 April 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Libya/Nuclear/index.html |title=1968 to 1990: Program Beginnings |publisher=[[NTI]]}}</ref> and Gaddafi's [[Chadian-Libyan conflict|occupation of Chad]], which was rich in uranium, was of major concern to the United States. Gaddafi's ambitions to set up a federation of Arab and Muslim states in North Africa were alarming to U.S. interests. Furthermore, then-[[U.S. Secretary of State]] [[Alexander Haig]] wanted to take proactive measures against Gaddafi because he had been using former [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) operatives (most notably [[Edwin P. Wilson]] and [[Frank E. Terpil]]) to help set up terrorist camps.<ref name=NYTtarget>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/22/magazine/target-qaddafi.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm | work=The New York Times | first=Seymour M. | last=Hersh | title=Target Qaddafi  | date=22 February 1987}}</ref>

After the December [[1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks]], which killed 19 and wounded approximately 140, Gaddafi indicated that he would continue to support the [[Red Army Faction]], the [[Red Brigades]], and the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Irish Republican Army]] as long as the European governments allegedly “supported anti-Gaddafi Libyans.”<ref>{{Cite journal|last=St. John|first=Ronald Bruce|title=Libyan terrorism: the case against Gaddafi|journal=Contemporary Review|date=1 December 1992 }}</ref>

After years of occasional skirmishes with Libya over Libyan territorial claims to the [[Gulf of Sidra]], the United States contemplated a military attack to strike targets within the Libyan mainland. In March 1986, the United States, asserting the {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|adj=on}} limit to territorial waters according to international law, sent a carrier task force to the region. Libya responded with aggressive counter-maneuvers on 24 March that led to [[Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986)|a naval engagement in the Gulf of Sidra]].

On 5 April 1986, alleged Libyan agents [[West Berlin discotheque bombing|bombed "La Belle" nightclub in West Berlin]], killing three people, including two U.S. servicemen and a Turkish woman,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/5/newsid_4357000/4357255.stm | title=1986: Berlin disco bombed | date=5 April 1986 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bailey |first1=Thomas |last2=Kennedy |first2=David |last3=Cohen |first3=Lizabeth |title=The American Pageant |date=1998 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |location=Boston |isbn=0-669-39728-8 |page=1000 |edition=11th |url=https://archive.org/details/americanpageant00bail/page/1000}}</ref> and injuring 229 people, including 79 Americans.<ref name="bbc-flashback">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing]. BBC on 13 November 2001.</ref> [[West Germany]] and the United States obtained cable transcripts from Libyan agents in [[East Germany]] who were involved in the attack.

More detailed information was retrieved years later when [[Stasi]] archives were investigated by the [[German reunification|reunited Germany]]. Libyan agents who had carried out the operation from the Libyan embassy in East Germany were identified and prosecuted by Germany in the 1990s.<ref name="bbc-flashback"/>

==Preparations==
[[File:President Ronald Reagan being briefed by the National Security Council staff.jpg|thumb|[[President of the United States]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in a briefing with [[US National Security Council]] staff on Operation El Dorado Canyon.]]

The attack mission against Libya had been preceded in October 1985 by an exercise in which the [[20th Fighter Wing|20th TFW]] stationed at [[RAF Upper Heyford]] airbase in the UK, which was equipped with [[F-111|F-111E Aardvarks]], received a top-secret order to launch a simulated attack mission on 18 October, with ten F-111Es armed with eight 500-lb practice bombs, against a simulated airfield located in [[Labrador]], Canada south of [[CFB Goose Bay]].  The mission was designated '''Operation Ghost Rider'''. The mission was a full rehearsal for a long-range strike against Libya. The mission was completed successfully, with the exception of one aircraft that had all but one of its eight bombs hang up on one of its wing racks. The lessons learned were passed on to the 48th TFW which was equipped with the newer F-111F model.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Warren|last=Thompson|title=To the Bay and Back|magazine=[[Air Forces Monthly]]|date=May 2010|publisher=Key Publishing}}</ref>

In August 1985 six specially trained B-52H crews of the 23rd Bombardment Squadron in Minot, North Dakota, were designated as the Advanced Conventional Taskforce (ACT) and trained at specialized low-level conventional bombing missions, including the first ever use of Night Vision Goggles by B-52 crews. The specially trained crews were capable of delivering 6 strings of MK-117 munitions seconds apart with pinpoint accuracy operating from North Dakota.  In six months of intensive training the special mission unit dropped more live ordnance in the Nevada and Utah test ranges than had been expended since the conclusion of the Vietnam War.  The B-52 provided a powerful alternative or follow-on option, however, as the backbone of the U.S. nuclear deterrent there was some risk to using the B-52 option against an SA-6 defended target.<ref>interview with members of D-flight 23rd BMS/5BMW</ref>

Elements of the then-secret [[4450th Tactical Group]] (USAF) were put on standby to fly the strike mission against Libya. Over 30 [[F-117 Nighthawk]] stealth attack aircraft had already been delivered to [[Tactical Air Command]] (USAF) and were operating from [[Tonopah Test Range Airport]] in Nevada. European Command senior officers knew nothing about the [[stealth aircraft|stealth]] capabilities of the F-117, or that the aircraft even existed. Within an hour of the planned launch of the F-117s, [[US Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Caspar Weinberger]] scrubbed the stealth mission, fearing a compromise of the secret aircraft and its development program. The air strike was carried out with conventional U.S. Navy and USAF aircraft. The F-117 would remain completely unknown to the world for several more months, before being unveiled in 1988 and featured prominently in media coverage of [[Gulf War|Operation Desert Storm]].

For the Libyan raid, the United States was denied overflight rights by [[France]], [[Spain]], and [[Italy]] as well as the use of European continental bases, forcing the USAF portion of the operation to be flown around France and Spain, over [[Portugal]] and through the [[Straits of Gibraltar]], adding 1,300 miles (2,100&nbsp;km) each way and requiring multiple [[aerial refueling]]s.<ref name="randcorp">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5HFvmqCJNhsC&pg=PA103| title=Overseas Basing of U.S. Military Forces: An Assessment of Relative Costs and Strategic Benefits | date=2013 | publisher=Rand Corporation | page=103 | isbn=978-0833079176}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0399canyon/|title=El Dorado Canyon|last=Boyne|first=Walter J.|author-link=Walter J. Boyne|date=March 1999|magazine=[[Air & Space Forces Magazine]]|volume=82|issue=3|access-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622181901/https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0399canyon/|archive-date=22 June 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The French refusal alone added 2,800&nbsp;km.<ref name="nytimesfrance">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/23/world/french-say-they-favored-stronger-attack-on-libya.html | title=French Say They Favored Stronger Attack on Libya | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=23 April 1986 | access-date=16 June 2015 | author=Bernstein, Richard}}</ref> [[President of France|French President]] [[François Mitterrand]] refused overflight clearance because the United States was interested in limited action in Libya while France was more interested in action that would remove Gaddafi from power.<ref name="nytimesfrance" /> Another factor in the French decision was the United States' last-minute failure to participate in a retaliatory air raid on Iranian positions after the [[1983 Beirut barracks bombings]].<ref name="crist">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V0G9f35dK6AC&pg=PT138| title=The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran | publisher=Penguin | isbn=978-0143123675 | first=David | last=Crist | date=2012 }}</ref>

==Targets==
[[File:F-111F GBU-10 bound for Libya.jpg|thumb|right|Ground crew prepares a [[48th Tactical Fighter Wing]] F-111F aircraft for an air strike on Libya]]
After several unproductive days of meetings with European and Arab nations, and influenced by an American serviceman's death, on 14 April Ronald Reagan ordered an air raid on the following Libyan targets:<ref name=whp>{{cite journal |last=Parks |first=W. Hays |year=1986 |title=Crossing the Line |journal=Proceedings |volume=112 |issue=11 |pages=40–52 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] }}</ref>
* [[Bab al-Azizia]] Barracks in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] – Gaddafi's command and control center for overseas operations
* Murrat Sidi Bilal in Tripoli – a training camp for naval commandos and combat frogmen
* [[Mitiga International Airport]] – used by [[Ilyushin Il-76]] transport aircraft
* [[Revolutionary Guard Corps|Jamahiriyah Guard]] barracks in [[Benghazi]] – an alternative command and control headquarters for overseas operations, and which contained a warehouse for storage of [[Mikoyan|MiG aircraft]] components
* [[Benina International Airport]] – used as a base by defending fighters

==Strike force==
[[File:Aircraft on USS America (CV-66) during attacks on Libya 1986.jpeg|thumb|right|An F-14A Tomcat launched from USS ''America'' (CV-66) during Operation El Dorado Canyon]]

Among operational United States tactical aircraft, only the [[General Dynamics F-111]] and the [[A-6 Intruder]] possessed the ability to attack at night with the required precision. Although the F-111s would be required to fly from distant bases, they were essential to mission success, because the eighteen A-6s available aboard {{ship|USS|Coral Sea|CV-43}} and {{ship|USS|America|CV-66}} could not carry enough bombs to simultaneously inflict the desired damage on the five targets selected.<ref name=whp/>

===United States Air Force===
Twenty-eight [[McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender]]s and [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker]]s took off from [[RAF Mildenhall]] and [[RAF Fairford]] shortly after 19:00<ref group="note" name="time">Parks specifies times of events with the time in Washington DC where the attack was coordinated. Parks's times have been adjusted to reflect the time observed where the battle took place.</ref> on 14 April. These tankers would conduct four silent refueling operations over the {{cvt|6,000|mi}} round-trip route the F-111s would fly to target. Within minutes the tankers were followed by twenty-four F-111F strike aircraft of the [[48th Fighter Wing|48th Tactical Fighter Wing]], flying from [[RAF Lakenheath]] and five [[EF-111A Raven]]s of the [[20th Fighter Wing|20th Tactical Fighter Wing]] from [[RAF Upper Heyford]]. Six F-111s and one EF-111 were designated spares who returned to base after the first refueling was completed without any system failures among the designated strike aircraft.<ref name=whp/> One F-111F had a flameout of one engine upon take off and was ordered back to base.

===United States Navy===
''America'' was on station in the [[Gulf of Sidra]], but ''Coral Sea'' was preparing to leave the Mediterranean, and made a high speed run from [[Naples]] through the [[Strait of Messina]]. ''America{{'}}s'' air group would strike targets in downtown Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for the USAF bombers, while ''Coral Sea{{'}}s'' planes would strike the Benina airfield outside Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for the Navy bombers.<ref name=res>{{cite journal |last=Stumpf |first=Robert E. |year=1986 |title=Air War with Libya |journal=Proceedings |volume=112 |issue=8 |pages=42–48 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] }}</ref> About 01:00<ref group="note" name="time"/> ''America'' launched six A-6E TRAM Intruder strike aircraft with [[Mark 82 bomb]]s against the Jamahiriyah Guard barracks and six [[A-7 Corsair II|A-7 Corsair]] strike support aircraft. ''Coral Sea'', operating east of ''America'' simultaneously launched eight A-6E TRAM Intruders and six [[F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18A Hornet]]s. Additional fighters were launched for [[combat air patrol]] (CAP).<ref name=whp/>

==The raid==
[[File:Il-76 destroyed Operation El Dorado Canyon.jpg|thumb|[[Ilyushin Il-76]] targeted by the bombing]]
The raid began in the early hours of 15 April, with the stated objectives of sending a message and reducing Libya's ability to support and train [[terrorism|terrorists]]. Shortly after the raid Reagan warned "Today, we have done what we had to do. If necessary, we shall do it again."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1986/Strike-on-Qaddafi-and-Soviet-Espionage/12297050136623-4/|title=1986 Year in Review: Strike on Qaddafi|work=UPI|access-date=28 October 2014}}</ref>

Coordinated [[Radar jamming and deception|jamming]] by the EF-111s and [[EA-6B Prowler]]s began at 01:54 (Libyan time)<ref group="note" name="time"/> as the A-7Es and F/A-18As began launching [[AGM-88 HARM]] and [[AGM-45 Shrike]] missiles for [[suppression of enemy air defenses]] (SEAD).<ref name=whp/> The attack began at 0200 hours (Libyan time),<ref name="America">{{cite book |last1=Jr |first1=James E. Wise |last2=Baron |first2=Scott |title=At the Helm of USS America: The Aircraft Carrier and Its 23 Commanders, 1965–1996 |date=2016 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-1568-4 |pages=143–144 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9-9ZBAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> and lasted about twelve minutes, with 60 tons of munitions dropped.<ref name="Samuels">{{cite book |last1=Samuels |first1=Richard J. |title=Encyclopedia of United States National Security |date=2006 |publisher=Sage |isbn=978-0-7619-2927-7 |page=431 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FmI5DQAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> The F-111 bombers' [[rules of engagement]] required target identification by both radar and [[Pave Tack]] prior to bomb release to minimize collateral damage. Of the nine F-111s targeting Bab al-Azizia, only three placed their [[GBU-10 Paveway II]] bombs on target.<ref name=whp/> One F-111 was shot down by a Libyan [[Surface-to-air missile|SAM]] over the [[Gulf of Sidra]]<ref name="America"/> and one F-111's bombs missed the barracks,<ref name=whp/> striking diplomatic and civilian sites in Tripoli, and narrowly missing the French embassy.<ref>{{cite report |last1=Endicott |first1=Judy G. |title=Raid on Libya: Operation Eldorado Canyon  |date=23 August 2012 |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |page=153 |url=https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330097/-1/-1/0/Op%20El%20Dorado%20Canyon.pdf |access-date=17 September 2023}}</ref> All three F-111s assigned to Sidi Bilal released their GBU-10 bombs on target. One of the six F-111s assigned to bomb the Tripoli airfield aborted its mission with a [[terrain-following radar]] malfunction, but the remaining five dropped BSU-49 high drag bombs destroying two Il-76 transport aircraft. ''America{{'}}s'' A-6s damaged the Jamahiriyah MiG assembly warehouse and destroyed four MiG shipping crates. Two A-6s from ''Coral Sea'' aborted their mission, but five A-6s with CBU-59 APAM [[cluster bomb]]s and one with Mk 82 bombs struck Benina airfield destroying three or four MiGs, two [[Mil Mi-8]] helicopters, one [[Fokker F27 Friendship]] transport, and one small straight-wing aircraft.<ref name=whp/> A [[Boeing 727]] was also reportedly destroyed during the Benina strike.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=Libyan Air Wars – Part 3 : 1986–1989 |last2=Grandolini |first2=Albert |last3=Delalande |first3=Arnaud |publisher=Helion & Company Limited |year=2016}}</ref>

Some Libyan soldiers reportedly abandoned their positions in fright and confusion, while the officers were slow to give orders.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Metz |first1=Helen Chapin |author-link=Helen Chapin Metz |last2=Library of Congress |first2=Federal Research Division |title=Libya: a country study |work=The Library of Congress |date=1989 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |page=255 |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/88600480/ |access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref> Libyan anti-aircraft fire did not begin until after the planes had passed over their targets.<ref name="Samuels"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/15/politics/15REAG.html|work=The New York Times|title=U.S. Jets Hit 'Terrorist Centers' in Libya; Reagan Warns of New Attacks If Needed|first=Bernard|last=Weinraub|date=15 April 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-8251.html|title=Libya – Encounters with the United States|website=Country-data.com|access-date=7 June 2016}}</ref> No Libyan fighters launched,<ref name=res/> and HARM launches and jamming prevented any of the [[2K12 Kub|2K12 Kub (SA-6)]], [[S-75 Dvina|S-75 Dvina (SA-2)]], [[S-125 Neva/Pechora|S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3)]], or [[Crotale (missile)|Crotale]] SAM<ref name=whp/> launches from homing.<ref name=res/> One SA-6 however was able to track onto an A-6 from [[VFA-34|VA-34]] during the strike on the Jamahiriyah barracks but was evaded successfully.<ref name=":0" />

Within twelve minutes, all United States aircraft were "feet wet" outbound over the Mediterranean. Navy strike aircraft had been recovered aboard their carriers by 02:53 (Libyan time)<ref group="note" name="time"/> and surviving USAF planes, with the exception of one F-111, which landed in [[Naval Station Rota]], Spain, with an overheated engine, had returned to Britain by 10:10 (Libyan time).<ref group="note" name="time"/><ref name=whp/>
Although the bombing operations were staged out of the UK, [[RAF Akrotiri]] in Cyprus was employed in the role of an alternate in case of emergency, and was used as such by at least one aircraft. This led to retaliatory action against the British base.

===United States forces and targets===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:98%;"
|+Operation results<ref>[https://research.maxwell.af.mil/papers/ay2003/saas/phinney.pdf Airpower Versus Terrorism: Three Case Studies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110175203/https://research.maxwell.af.mil/papers/ay2003/saas/phinney.pdf |date=10 November 2006 }}, Thesis, June 2003, p. 20</ref><ref name=":0" />
!colspan=2 rowspan=2| Target
!colspan=2 width="250px"| Planned
!colspan=3 width="250px"| Actual
|-
!Aircraft !!Bombing
!Aircraft !!Hit !!Miss
|-valign="top"
| colspan=2| [[Bab al-Azizia]] barracks
| 9× F-111F || 36× [[GBU-10 Paveway II|GBU-10]] {{convert|2000|lb|abbr=on}} LGB
| 3× bombed <br /> 1× missed <br /> 4× aborts <br /> 1× lost
| align="center"| 13
| align="center"| 3
|-valign="top"
| colspan=2| Murat Sidi Bilal camp
| 3× F-111F || 12× GBU-10 2,000&nbsp;lb LGB
| all bombed
| align="center"| 12
| align="center"| –
|-valign="top"
| colspan=2| Tripoli airfield<br />(fmr. [[Wheelus Air Base]])
| 6× F-111F || 72× [[Mark 82 bomb|Mk 82]] {{convert|500|lb|abbr=on}} RDB
| 5× bombed <br /> 1× abort
| align="center"| 60
| align="center"| –
|-valign="top"
| colspan=2| Jamahiriyah (Benghazi) barracks
| 7× A-6E TRAM [[VFA-34|VA-34]]|| 84× Mk 82 500&nbsp;lb RDB
| 6× bombed <br /> 1× abort on deck
| align="center"| 70
| align="center"| 2
|-valign="top"
| colspan=2| Benina airfield
| 8× A-6E TRAM [[Second VA-55 (U.S. Navy)|VA-55]]|| 72× Mk 20 500&nbsp;lb CBU <br /> 24× Mk 82 500&nbsp;lb RDB
| 6× bombed <br /> 2× aborts
| 60× Mk 20 <br /> 12× Mk 82
| align="center"| –
|-valign="top"
| rowspan=2 | Air defense<br />networks
| Tripoli
| 6× A-7E || 8× [[AGM-45 Shrike|Shrike]] <br /> 16× [[AGM-88 HARM|HARM]]
| all aircraft fired
| colspan=2 align="center"| 8× Shrike <br /> 16× HARM
|-valign="top"
| Benghazi
| 24× F/A-18A [[VFA-131]], [[VFA-132]]
[[VMFA-314]], [[VMFA-323]]
| 20× HARM
| all aircraft fired
| colspan=2 align="center"| 20× HARM
|-
! colspan=2|Totals || 45 aircraft || 300 bombs <br /> 48 missiles || 35 bombed <br /> 1 missed <br /> 1 lost <br /> 8 aborts || colspan=2|227 hits <br /> 5 misses <br /> 48 homing missiles
|-
! colspan="7" |Support Aircraft
|-
| rowspan="4" |Air defense<br />networks
| rowspan="2" |Tripoli
|5x EF-111A
|ALQ-99
|1× partial abort<ref name=":0" />
|–
|–
|-
|1x EA-6B [[VMAQ-2]]
|ALQ-99
|None
|–
|–
|-
|Benghazi
|3x EA-6B (2x [[VAQ-135]]/1x VMAQ-2)
|ALQ-99
|None
|–
|–
|-
|
|3x EA-3B [[VQ-2]]
|[[Electronic warfare|EW]]/[[Aerial refueling|AAR]]
|None
|–
|–
|-
| rowspan="2" |Early Warning
| rowspan="2" |–
|2x E-2C [[VAW-123]]
|
|None
|–
|–
|-
|2x E-2C [[VAW-127]]
|
|None
|–
|–
|}

===Libyan air defenses===
The Libyan air defense network was extensive, and included:
* 4 Long range [[S-200 Angara/Vega/Dubna|S-200 Vega (SA-5 Gammon)]] anti-aircraft missile units with 24 launchers.
* 86 [[S-75 Dvina|S-75 Volkhov (SA-2 Guideline)]] and [[S-125 Neva|S-125 Neva (SA-3 Goa)]] anti-aircraft missile units with 276 launchers.
Covering Tripoli alone were:
* 7 [[S-75 Dvina|S-75 Volkhov (SA-2 Guideline)]] anti-aircraft missile units with 6 missiles launchers per unit giving 42 launchers.
* 12 [[S-125 Neva|S-125 Neva (SA-3 Goa)]] anti-aircraft missile units with 4 missiles launchers per unit giving 48 launchers.
* 3 [[2K12 Kub|2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful)]] anti-aircraft missile units with 48 launchers.
* 1 [[9K33 Osa|9K33M2 Osa-AK (SA-8 Geko)]] anti-aircraft regiment with 16 launch vehicles.
* 2 [[Crotale (missile)|Crotale II]] anti-aircraft units with 60 launch pads.

==Casualties==
===Libyan===
Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]] and his family rushed out of their residence in the [[Bab al-Azizia]] compound moments before the bombs dropped, forewarned by a telephone call from [[Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici]], [[Malta]]'s Prime Minister. Bonnici had been made aware of the presence of the American strike force by Prime Minister [[Bettino Craxi]] of [[Italy]]; the latter nation had detected the then-unidentified aircraft off the West coast of [[Sicily]] and scrambled a flight of [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104 Starfighters]] to intercept it, discovering the strike force's presence and being warned away by pilots with obvious American accents.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/italys-prime-minister-saved-gaddafis-life-by-warning-of-operation-el-dorado-canyon/|title=Italy's Prime Minister saved Gaddafi's Life by Warning of Operation El Dorado Canyon|author=Dario Leone|date=1 September 2019|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>

According to medical staff in a nearby hospital, two dozen casualties were brought in wearing military uniforms, and two without uniforms. Total Libyan casualties were estimated at 60, including those at the bombed airbases. An infant girl was among the casualties; her body was shown to American reporters, who were told she was Gaddafi's recently adopted daughter [[Hana Gaddafi|Hana]]. However, there was and remains much skepticism over the claim.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Kincaid, Cliff | date=22 February 2011 | title=NBC's Mitchell Regurgitates Gaddafi Lies | journal=Accuracy in Media | url=http://www.aim.org/aim-column/nbc%E2%80%99s-mitchell-regurgitates-gaddafi-lies/ | access-date=7 June 2016 | archive-date=12 August 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812005501/https://www.aim.org/aim-column/nbc%E2%80%99s-mitchell-regurgitates-gaddafi-lies/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Müller, Patrick | date = 8 June 2011 | title = Gaddafis Kinder – Totgesagte leben länger |trans-title=Gaddafi's children – Declared dead |newspaper=Die Welt | url = https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article13530021/Gaddafis-Kinder-Totgesagte-leben-laenger.html | access-date = 7 June 2015 | quote = Hana Gaddafi soll 1986 beim Angriff amerikanischer Bomber umgekommen sein. Tatsächlich wurde ihr Tod offenbar nur vorgetäuscht. Eine Spurensuche." "[Hana Gaddafi [was said to have been] killed in 1986, during the attack of American bombers. In fact, her death was obviously faked. A search for clues.]}} English language translation of same article: {{cite news |work=The Huffington Post| url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/09/hana-gaddafi-libyan-leader-daughter-alive-_n_922043.html | title=Hana Gaddafi, Libyan Leader's Presumed Dead Daughter, May Be Still Alive | access-date = 7 June 2016 | date=9 August 2011}}</ref> She may not have died; the adoption may have been posthumous; or he may have adopted a second daughter and given her the same name after the first one died.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Walker, Peter | date = 26 August 2011 | title = Gaddafi's daughter Hana: dead or a practising doctor? | journal = The Guardian | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/26/hana-gaddafi-daughter-mystery | access-date= 7 June 2016 | quote = [Subtitle:] "Some accounts say Hana Gaddafi died in a 1986 raid, others that she lived to become a doctor or never existed at all." }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author=Shadid, Anthony | date = 28 August 2011 | title = Enigmatic in Power, Qaddafi Is Elusive at Large | journal = [[The New York Times]] | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/world/africa/29qaddafi.html | access-date= 7 June 2016 }}</ref><ref name=hannarecords>{{cite journal | author=Kirkup, James | author2=Watt, Holly | name-list-style=amp | date = 12 August 2011 | title = Dental records for Hana Gaddafi reopen mystery of Libyan leader's daughter | journal = [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8698804/Dental-records-for-Hana-Gaddafi-reopen-mystery-of-Muammar-Gaddafis-daughter.html | access-date= 7 June 2016 | quote = Files stored in a basement room in one of London's most expensive districts could shed new light on one of the greatest mysteries of Muammar Gaddafi's Libya: the alleged death of his baby daughter Hana. }}</ref><ref name=Hanaalive>{{cite journal | author=Telegraph Staff | date = 12 August 2011 | title = Exclusive: Gaddafi's 'dead' daughter Hana alive and well in family video [Ali, Mohammed, videographer] | format = video, with text description | journal = [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/libya-video/8782588/Exclusive-Gaddafis-dead-daughter-Hana-alive-and-well-in-family-video.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110923005413/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/libya-video/8782588/Exclusive-Gaddafis-dead-daughter-Hana-alive-and-well-in-family-video.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 23 September 2011 | access-date= 7 June 2016 | quote = The Telegraph has obtained the first video evidence that Hana, the adopted daughter that Col Gaddafi claimed had been killed in an American bombing raid in 1986, was alive years after the attack. }}</ref>

===American===
Two U.S. Air Force captains—[[Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci]] and [[Paul F. Lorence]]—were killed when their F-111 [[fighter-bomber]] (callsign Karma-52) was shot down<ref>''The sad note is we have to assume the 2 missing men are dead. Evidence indicates their plane was shot down just off shore after dropping its bombs.'' Reagan Diaries Volume 2: November 1985 – January 1989, Ronald Reagan, Douglas Brinkley, p. 590, HarperCollins, 2010</ref><ref>''Libya soon recovered the body of Captain Ribas-Dominicci but did not return it to the United States until 1989. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning, not massive physical trauma ... the autopsy finding and the eyewitness accounts of several aviators who saw the explosion and the descent of the fireball to the sea support the conclusion that Karma-52 was shot down by a SAM or AAA.'' El Dorado Canyon, Joseph T. Stanik, p. 190, Naval Institute Press, 2003</ref> over the [[Gulf of Sidra]]. In the hours following the attack, the U.S. military refused to speculate as to whether or not the fighter-bomber had been shot down, with Defense Secretary [[Caspar Weinberger]] suggesting that it could have experienced radio trouble or been diverted to another airfield.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=V2lQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u1kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6279,4040553&hl=en|title=One plane missing after raid. |newspaper= The Evening Independent |date= 15 April 1986 |access-date=28 October 2014}}</ref> The next day, the Pentagon had announced it was no longer searching for the F-111 believed to be downed by a Libyan missile.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19860417&id=bnczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=65IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3105,4597235&hl=en |title= Air Raid Toll Comes Home to Gaddafi |newspaper= The Age |location= Melbourne |first= Tony |last= Walker |date= 17 April 1986 }}<!--Dateline is Tripoli, 16 April--></ref> On 25 December 1988, Gaddafi offered to release the body of Lorence to his family through [[Pope John Paul II]]. The body, returned in 1989, was identified as Ribas-Dominicci's from dental records. An autopsy conducted in [[Spain]] confirmed that he had drowned after his plane was shot down over the Gulf of Sidra. Libya denies that it held Lorence's body. However, Lorence's brother said that he and his mother saw television footage of a Libyan holding a white helmet with the name "Lorence" stenciled on the back.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kay|first=Jennifer|date=29 April 2006|url=http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter26/in290406libyalost.html|title=Lost Over Libya|publisher=Associated Press|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628154128/http://www.aiipowmia.com/inter26/in290406libyalost.html|archive-date=28 June 2009}}</ref> Furthermore, [[William C. Chasey]], who toured the Bab al-Azizia barracks, claimed to have seen two flight suits and helmets engraved with the names "Lorence" and "Ribas-Dominicci", as well as the wreckage of their F-111.<ref>Chasey, William C. – ''Pan Am 103: The Lockerbie Cover-Up'' (Chapter 18)</ref> Gaddafi declared that the raid was a Libyan victory and stated that three American planes had been shot down, but Karma-52 was the only one that failed to return to base.<ref name="auto"/>

==Aftermath==
===In Libya===
====Gaddafi's announcements====
Gaddafi announced that he had "won a spectacular military victory over the United States" and the country was officially renamed the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah".<ref name="leedavis183">{{Cite book|title=Qaddafi, terrorism, and the origins of the U.S. attack on Libya.|first=Brian L.|last=Davis|page=[https://archive.org/details/qaddafiterrorism00davi/page/183 183]|publisher=Praeger Publishers|location=New York|year=1990|isbn=0-275-93302-4|url=https://archive.org/details/qaddafiterrorism00davi/page/183}}</ref>

Gaddafi said reconciliation between Libya and the United States was impossible so long as Reagan was in the White House; of the US president he said, "He is mad. He is foolish. He is an Israeli dog." He said he had no plans to attack the United States or U.S. targets. He claimed that Reagan wanted to kill him, stating "Was Reagan trying to kill me? Of course. The attack was concentrated on my house and I was in my house", he also described how he rescued his family.<ref name="Sun Sentinel">{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-06-20/news/8602060350_1_moammar-gadhafi-white-house-wife|title=Gadhafi: Reagan Tried To Kill Me|work=Sun Sentinel|access-date=28 October 2014|archive-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028170556/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-06-20/news/8602060350_1_moammar-gadhafi-white-house-wife|url-status=dead}}</ref>
When asked whether he was in danger of losing power, he said: "Really, these reports and writings are not true. As you can see I am fine, and there has been no change in our country."<ref name="Sun Sentinel"/>

====Other events====
The [[Politics of Libya|Government of Libya]] said that the United States had fallen prey to arrogance and madness of power and wanted to become the world's policeman. It charged that any party that did not agree to become an American vassal was an outlaw, a terrorist, and a devil.<ref name="chronicles"/>

Gaddafi quashed an internal revolt, the organization of which he blamed on the United States, although Gaddafi appeared to have left the public sphere for a time in 1986 and 1987.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

The [[General Posts and Telecommunications Company|Libyan Post]] dedicated several postage stamps issues to the event, from 1986 until 2001. The first issue was released in 1986, 13 July (ref. [[Scott catalogue]] n.1311 – [[Michel catalogue]] n.1699). The last issue was released in 2001, 15 April (ref. [[Scott catalogue]] n.1653 – [[Michel catalogue]] n.2748–2763).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.libyan-stamps.com/page2000-2001.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=3 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628144919/http://www.libyan-stamps.com/page2000-2001.htm |archive-date=28 June 2009 }}</ref>

===Libyan retaliation===
====Immediate====
Libya responded by firing two [[Scud]] missiles at a [[LORAN-C transmitter Lampedusa|United States Coast Guard station]] on the [[Italy|Italian]] island of [[Lampedusa]] which fell short of the island and landed in the sea.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jr |first1=E. J. Dionne |title=Italian isle, site of U.S. base, is fearful of Qaddafi's anger |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/27/world/italian-isle-site-of-us-base-is-fearful-of-qaddafi-s-anger.html |access-date=17 September 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=27 May 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=House |first1=Jonathan M. |title=A Military History of the Cold War, 1962–1991 |date=24 September 2020 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-6778-7 |page=344 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DsXZDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>

====Later Libyan-connected terrorism====
There was only limited change in Libyan-connected terrorism.<ref name="leedavis183"/>{{additional citations needed|date=April 2025}}

The Libyan government was alleged to have ordered the hijacking of [[Pan Am Flight 73]] in [[Pakistan]] on 5 September 1986, which resulted in the deaths of 20 people. The allegation did not come to light until it was reported by ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' in March 2004—days after British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] paid the first official visit to [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] by a Western leader in a generation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1052614.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523234457/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1052614.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2011|title=Revealed: Gaddafi's air massacre plot | location=London | work=The Times | date=28 March 2004 | access-date=26 April 2010 | first=Jon | last=Swain}}</ref>

In October 1986, Gaddafi financed [[Jeff Fort]]'s [[Al-Rukn]] faction of the Chicago [[Almighty Black P. Stone Nation|Black P. Stones]] gang, in their emergence as an anti-American armed revolutionary movement.<ref name="Bodansky"/> Al-Rukn members were arrested for preparing strikes on behalf of Libya, including blowing up US government buildings and bringing down an airplane; the Al-Rukn defendants were convicted in 1987 of "offering to commit bombings and assassinations on US soil for Libyan payment."<ref name="Bodansky">{{cite book|title=Target America & the West: Terrorism Today|author=Bodansky, Yossef|author-link=Yossef Bodansky|pages=[https://archive.org/details/targetamericawes00boda/page/301 301–303]|year=1993|location=New York|publisher=S.P.I. Books|isbn=978-1-56171-269-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/targetamericawes00boda/page/301}}</ref>

In May 1987, Australia expelled diplomats and broke off relations with Libya, claiming Libya sought to fuel violence in Australia and Oceania.<ref>The Middle East and North Africa 2003 (2002). Eur. p. 758</ref><ref name="comeback">{{cite web|url=http://www.aijac.org.au/review/2003/282/Libya-return.html |title=A Rogue Returns |publisher=AIJAC |date=February 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030301031212/http://www.aijac.org.au/review/2003/282/Libya-return.html |archive-date=1 March 2003 }}</ref>

In late 1987 French authorities stopped a merchant vessel, the MV ''Eksund'', which was attempting to deliver 150 tons of Soviet arms from Libya to the Irish Republican Army (IRA),<ref>p. 441, The dirty war: covert strategies and tactics used in political conflicts. Dillon, Martin</ref><ref>news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8241393.stm</ref> partly in retaliation against the British for harboring American fighter planes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/libya-will-not-arm-ira-again-gaddafi-aide-says-1414984.html |title=Libya will not arm IRA again, Gaddafi aide says |work=The Independent |location=London |date=20 July 1994 |access-date=1 September 2011 |first1=Tim |last1=Kelsey |first2=Peter |last2=Koenig |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110325022142/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/libya-will-not-arm-ira-again-gaddafi-aide-says-1414984.html |archive-date=25 March 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]], two British hostages held by the Libyan-supported [[Abu Nidal Organization]], Leigh Douglas and Philip Padfield, along with an American named Peter Kilburn, were shot dead in revenge. In addition, journalist [[John McCarthy (journalist)|John McCarthy]] was kidnapped, and tourist Paul Appleby was murdered in [[Jerusalem]]. Another British hostage named Alec Collett was also killed in retaliation for the bombing of Libya. Collett was shown being hanged in a video tape. His body was found in November 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/11/21/1821s530862.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722211044/http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/11/21/1821s530862.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2012|title=Body of Lost British Reporter Found in Lebanon|website=English.cri.cn|access-date=7 June 2016}}</ref>

On 21 December 1988 Libya bombed [[Pan Am Flight 103]], which exploded in mid-air and crashed on the town of [[Lockerbie]] in Scotland after a bomb detonated, killing all 259 people aboard, and 11 people in Lockerbie. Iran was initially thought to have been responsible for the bombing in revenge for the [[Iran Air Flight 655|downing of Iran Air flight 655]] by the American missile cruiser [[USS Vincennes (CG-49)|USS ''Vincennes'']] over the Persian Gulf, but in 1991 two Libyans were charged, one of whom was [[Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial|convicted of the crime]] in a controversial judgement<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1872996.stm|title=UN monitor decries Lockerbie judgement|publisher=BBC | date=14 March 2002}}</ref> on 31 January 2001. The Libyan Government accepted responsibility for the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing on 29 May 2002, and offered $2.7 billion to compensate the families of the 270 victims.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sc7868.doc.htm|title=Security Council lifts sanctions imposed on Libya after terrorist bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772}}</ref> The convicted Libyan, [[Abdelbaset al-Megrahi]], who was suffering from terminal prostate cancer, was released in August 2009 by the Scottish Government on compassionate grounds. He died in 2012. In May 2014 a group of relatives of the Lockerbie victims continued to campaign for al-Megrahi's name to be cleared by reopening the case.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-27298089|title=BBC News – Lockerbie bombing: Megrahi conviction review sought by families|date=6 May 2014|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=10 May 2014}}</ref>

===International response===
====Immediate====
{{more citations needed|section|date=April 2018}}<!--4 paragraphs without citations-->
The attack was condemned by many countries. By a vote of 79 in favor to 28 against with 33 abstentions, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 41/38, which "condemns the military attack perpetrated against the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 15 April 1986, which constitutes a violation of the [[Charter of the United Nations]] and of international law."<ref>[https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/41/a41r038.htm A/RES/41/38]. United Nations.</ref>

A meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement said that it condemned the "dastardly, blatant and unprovoked act of aggression". The [[League of Arab States]] expressed that it was outraged at the United States aggression and that it reinforced an element of anarchy in international relations. The Assembly of Heads of State of the [[African Union]] said that the deliberate attempt to kill Libyans violated the principles of international law. The Government of Iran asserted that the attack constituted a policy of aggression, [[gunboat diplomacy]], an act of war, and called for an extensive political and economic boycott of the United States. Others saw the United States motive as an attempt to eliminate Libya's revolution.<ref name="chronicles">{{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_v23/ai_4539737/pg_1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711220949/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_v23/ai_4539737/pg_1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 July 2012 |title=UN Chronicle, August 1986 |website=Findarticles.com |access-date=28 October 2014 }}</ref>
China stated that the U.S. attack violated norms of international relations and had aggravated tension in the region. The Soviet Union said that there was a clear link between the attack and U.S. policy aimed at stirring up existing hotbeds of tension and creating new ones, and at destabilizing the international situation. West Germany stated that international disputes required diplomatic and not military solutions, and France also criticized the bombing.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Some observers held the opinion that Article 51 of the UN Charter set limitations on the use of force in exercising the legitimate right of self-defense in the absence of an act of aggression, and affirmed that there was no such act by Libya. It was charged that the United States did not exhaust the Charter provisions for settling disputes under Article 33. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' protested that if other nations applied Article 51 as cavalierly as the United States, then "the Nicaraguan government, [[CIA activities in Nicaragua|very reasonably predicting]] that the U.S. is planning an attack on its territory, has the right to bomb Washington." British [[Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Shadow Foreign Secretary]] [[Denis Healey]] told [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] that, "by this same rationale of defense against future attack, Britain could bomb apartment blocks in New York and Chicago on the ground that they contained people sending money and military supplies to the [[Irish Republican Army]]."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cockburn |first=Alexander |date=1986-04-17 |title=Bombing Libya |work=The Wall Street Journal }}</ref>

The Reagan Administration did not subscribe to any such limitations. Legal Advisor to the State Department Abraham Sofaer argued that “where an American is attacked because he is an American, in order to punish the U.S. or to coerce the U.S. into accepting a political position, the attack is one in which the U.S. has a sufficient interest to justify extending its protection through necessary and proportionate actions.”<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sofaer |first=Abraham D. |title=The Sixth Annual Waldemar A. Solf Lecture in International Law: Terrorism, the Law, and the National Defense |journal=Military Law Review |volume=126 |issue=Fall |year=1989 |pages=95, 126}}
</ref>
Moreover, the Administration maintained the legality of their actions under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Sofaer testified that the Administration had no expectation that the Freedom of Navigation operation in the Gulf of Sidra would result in combat, that it notified Congress within forty-eight hours after hostilities occurred, and that it consulted with congressional leaders prior to the bombing despite the potential risk of an information leak.<ref>{{Cite report |author=U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Arms Control, International Security and Science of the Committee on Foreign Affairs |title=War Powers, Libya, and State-Sponsored Terrorism: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Arms Control, International Security and Science of the Committee on Foreign Affairs |date=1986 |pages=5–60, 230–240 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}
</ref>

Others asserted that Libya was innocent in the bombing of the West Berlin discotheque.<ref>United Nations Yearbook, 1986, Volume 40, Department of Public Information, United Nations, New York</ref>

The U.S. received support from the UK, [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[Israel]], and 25 other countries. Its doctrine of declaring a war on what it called "terrorist havens" was not repeated until 1998, when President [[Bill Clinton]] [[Operation Infinite Reach|ordered strikes on six terrorist camps]] in [[Afghanistan]]. [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s approval of the use of [[Royal Air Force]] bases<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Morgan |first=Samuel T. |date=2023 |title=Using Process Tracing to Investigate Elite Experience Accrual: Explaining Margaret Thatcher's Support for US Air Strikes Against Libya |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10659129231182404 |journal=Political Research Quarterly |volume=77 |pages=226–238 |language=en |doi=10.1177/10659129231182404 |s2cid=263278690 |issn=1065-9129|url-access=subscription }}</ref> led to substantial public criticism, including an unprecedented story in ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]]'' suggesting the [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen]] was upset by an "uncaring" Prime Minister. However, the Americans strongly endorsed Thatcher, and the long-standing [[Special Relationship]] between the United States and Britain was strengthened.<ref>{{cite book|author=John Campbell|title=The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer's Daughter to Prime Minister|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=odLmZZ514AkC&pg=PT286|year=2011|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-101-55866-9|pages=279–82}}</ref><ref>Charles Moore, ''Margaret Thatcher: At Her Zenith: In London, Washington and Moscow'' (2016) pp 513-18</ref>

Although the Soviet Union was ostensibly friendly with Libya, it had, by the time of the Libya bombing, made its increasing ambivalence toward Libya apparent in public communications. Gaddafi had a history of verbally attacking the policy agendas and ideology of the Soviet Union, and he often engaged in various international interventions and meddling that conflicted with Soviet goals in a variety of spheres. During a period where the Soviet Union was apparently attempting to lead a subtle diplomatic effort that could impact its global status, close association with the whims of Gaddafi became a liability.

In the entire crisis, the Soviet Union explicitly announced that it would not provide additional help to Libya beyond resupplying basic armaments and munitions. It made no attempt to militarily intimidate the United States, despite the ongoing American operations in the Gulf of Sidra and its previous knowledge that the United States might launch an attack.  The Soviet Union did not completely ignore the event, issuing a denunciation of this 'criminal' act by the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=The sharp Soviet reaction to the U.S. attack on Lybia|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/04/15/The-sharp-Soviet-reaction-to-the-US-attack-on/5603513925200|date=15 April 1986|publisher=[[United Press International]]}}</ref>

After the raid, Moscow did cancel a planned visit to the United States by foreign affairs minister [[Eduard Shevardnadze]].  At the same time, it clearly signaled that it did not want this action to affect negotiations about the upcoming summer summit between the United States and the Soviet Union and its plans for new arms control agreements.

Former U.S. Attorney General [[Ramsey Clark]], acting for Libyan citizens who had been killed or injured in the bombing raid by the U.S. using British air bases, brought suit under international law against the United States and the United Kingdom in U.S. federal court. The lawsuit was dismissed as frivolous. A subsequent appeal was denied, and monetary sanctions against Clark were allowed. Saltany v. Reagan, 886 F. 2d 438 (D.C. Cir. 1989).

====UN response====
Every year, between at least 1994 and 2006, the [[United Nations General Assembly]] scheduled a declaration from the [[Organization of African Unity]] about the incident,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undemocracy.com/generalassembly_49/meeting_93/pg020-bk03|title=General Assembly Session 49 meeting 93|date=20 December 1994|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926233951/http://www.undemocracy.com/generalassembly_49/meeting_93/pg020-bk03|archive-date=26 September 2007}}</ref> but systematically deferred the discussion year after year until formally putting it aside (along with several other issues which had been similarly rescheduled for years) in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undemocracy.com/generalassembly_59/meeting_117/pg003-bk14|title=General Assembly Session 59 meeting 117|date=12 September 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234353/http://www.undemocracy.com/generalassembly_59/meeting_117/pg003-bk14|archive-date=26 September 2007}}</ref>

====First anniversary====
On the first anniversary of the bombing, April 1987, European and North American left-wing activists gathered to commemorate the anniversary. After a day of social and cultural networking with local Libyans, including a tour of Gaddafi's bombed house, the group gathered with other Libyans for a commemoration event.<ref name = "Vanderbilt">[http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/program.pl?ID=315251 US-Libya Relations / Bombing Anniversary] Vanderbilt Television News Archive.</ref>

====2009 comment====
In June 2009, during a visit to Italy, Gaddafi criticized American foreign policy and, asked as to the difference between al-Qaeda attacks and the 1986 U.S. bombing of Tripoli, he commented: "If [[al-Qaeda]] leader [[Osama bin Laden]] has no state and is an outlaw, America is a state with international rules."<ref>{{cite news
| url        = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8095982.stm
| title      = Students protest at Gaddafi visit
| date       = 11 June 2009
| work  = [[BBC News]]
| access-date = 2 January 2010}}</ref>

===Settlement of claims===
On 28 May 2008, the United States began negotiations with Libya on a comprehensive claims settlement agreement to resolve outstanding claims of American and Libyan nationals against each country in their respective courts. Gaddafi's son [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi|Saif al-Islam]] publicly announced that an agreement was being negotiated in July of that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Libya, Italy to sign compensation deal: Gaddafi son|work=[[Reuters]]|date=24 July 2008|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-italy-compensation-idUSL2457933120080724|access-date=25 February 2011|archive-date=16 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716013458/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/24/us-libya-italy-compensation-idUSL2457933120080724|url-status=live}}</ref> On 14 August 2008, the resulting [[U.S.-Libya Comprehensive Claims Settlement Agreement]] was signed in Tripoli by [[Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs]] [[David Welch (diplomat)|David Welch]] and by Libyan Secretary for American Affairs Ahmad Fituri.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Libya, US Sign Compensation Agreement|work=[[The Tripoli Post]]|date=17 August 2008|url=http://tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=2268|access-date=25 February 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717104233/http://tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=2268|archive-date=17 July 2011}}</ref>

In October 2008, Libya paid [[U.S. Dollar|US$]]1.5 billion (in three installments of $300 million on 9 October 2008, $600 million on 30 October 2008, and US$600 million 31 October 2008) into a fund<ref name="Libya compensates">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7703110.stm|title=Libya compensates terror victims|access-date=25 February 2011|work=[[BBC News]]|date=31 October 2008}}</ref> used to compensate the following victims and their relatives:
* [[Pan Am Flight 103|Lockerbie bombing]] victims, who were given an additional US$2 million each after having been paid US$8 million earlier;<ref name="Libya compensates" />
* American victims of the 1986 [[West Berlin discotheque bombing]];<ref name="Libya compensates" />
* American victims of the 1989 [[UTA Flight 772]] bombing;<ref name="Libya compensates" /> and,
* Libyan victims of the 1986 U.S. bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi.<ref name="Libya compensates" />

To pay the settlement, Libya demanded US$1.5 billion from global oil companies operating in Libya's oil fields, under threat of "serious consequences" to their leases. Libya's settlement was at least partially funded by several companies, including some based in the U.S., that chose to cooperate with Libya's demand.<ref name="Shady dealings">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/world/africa/24qaddafi.html|title=Shady Dealings Helped Qaddafi Build Fortune and Regime|access-date=29 March 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=24 March 2011|first1=Eric|last1=Lichtblau|first2=David|last2=Rohde|first3=James|last3=Risen}}</ref>

On 4 August 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the Libyan Claims Resolution Act,<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.3370: Libyan Claims Resolution Act] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002005918/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.3370: |date=2 October 2014 }}. The Library of Congress.</ref> which had unanimously passed Congress on 31 July. The Act provided for the restoration of Libya's sovereign, diplomatic, and official immunities before U.S. courts if the Secretary of State certified that the United States Government has received sufficient funds to resolve outstanding terrorism-related death and physical injury claims against Libya.

On 14 August 2008, the United States and Libya signed a comprehensive claims settlement agreement.<ref>U.S. Department of State, [https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/sept/109054.htm Significant Events in U.S.-Libyan Relations] . 2 September 2008</ref> Full diplomatic relations were restored between the two nations.

===In songs and books===
{{unsourced section|date=November 2024}}
English alternative band The The’s 1986 album Infected features the song Sweet Bird of Truth which tells the fictionalised story of a US pilot on the Libya bombing raids. It continues to feature as a popular song on their live tours.

In 1986, [[hardcore punk]] band [[The Meatmen]] referred to the lack of French cooperation with the raid in their song 'French People Suck': "French people suck, I just gotta' say/made the jet fighter pilots fly out of their way." This song appears on the album ''Rock & Roll Juggernaut'' ([[Caroline Records]]).

In 1987, [[Neil Young]] wrote "Mideast Vacation" a song from his live album, ''[[Life (Neil Young & Crazy Horse album)|Life]]'' about the bombing.

On [[Roger Waters]]'s third studio album, ''[[Amused to Death]]'' the songs "Late Home Tonight, Part I" and "Late Home Tonight, Part II" recall the bombing from the perspective of two "ordinary wives' and a young American F-111 pilot.

In [[Nelson DeMille]]'s book ''[[The Lion's Game]]'', published in 2000, there is a detailed but fictionalised description of the attack from the point of view of one of the book's main protagonists.

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Libya|Politics|1980s}}

* [[Foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration#Libya]]
* [[2011 military intervention in Libya]]
* [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)]], US–Libyan air engagement over territorial claim, two Libyan jets shot down
* [[Ouadi Doum air raid]] (February 1986)
* [[Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986)]], Naval battle between Libyan and US forces before the April bombing campaign
* [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)]], US-Libyan air engagement over territorial claim, two Libyan jets shot down
* [[Pan Am Flight 73]] (1986)
* [[Pan Am Flight 103]] (1988)
* [[Operation Odyssey Dawn]] (2011)
* [[List of modern conflicts in North Africa]]

==Explanatory notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal |last=Cogan |first=Charles G. |date=July 1991 |title=The response of the strong to the weak: The American raid on Libya, 1986 |journal=[[Intelligence and National Security]] |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=608–620 |doi=10.1080/02684529108432120 |issn=0268-4527}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=David B. |last2=Dolan |first2=Chris J. |date=Spring 2005 |title=Revisiting El Dorado Canyon: terrorism, the Reagan administration, and the 1986 bombing of Libya. |url=https://www.academia.edu/9855410 |journal=White House Studies |language=English |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=153–175}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Fisher |first=Louis |date=March 2012 |title=The Law: Military Operations in Libya: No War? No Hostilities? |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=2e61bc02e25cf4c5143f0788d959fd9551552ee2 |journal=[[Presidential Studies Quarterly]] |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=176–189 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-5705.2012.03947.x |issn=0360-4918 |jstor=41427455}}
* {{Cite book |last=Laham |first=Nicholas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVSQBQAAQBAJ |title=The American bombing of Libya: a study of the force of miscalculation in Reagan foreign policy |date=2008 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-0-7864-3185-4 |location=Jefferson (N.C.) |oclc=172521656}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PjxI7hKZY0YC |title=Politicotainment: television's take on the real |publisher=[[Peter Lang (publisher)|Peter Lang]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8204-8114-2 |editor-last=Riegert |editor-first=Kristina |series=Popular Culture and Everyday Life |location=New York |pages=257–259}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Stanik |first=LCDR Joseph T. |date=January 2011 |title=America's First Strike Against Terrorism |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2011/january/americas-first-strike-against-terrorism |magazine=[[Naval History]] |page=24+ |volume=25 |issue=1 |issn=1042-1920 |url-access=subscription}}
* {{Cite book |last=Stanik |first=Joseph T. |url=https://archive.org/details/eldoradocanyonre00stan |title=El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's undeclared war with Qaddafi |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-55750-983-3 |location=Annapolis, Md |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Ulfstein |first1=Geir |last2=Christiansen |first2=Hege Føsund |date=January 2013 |title=The legality of the NATO bombing in Libya |url=https://ulfstein.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/UlfsteinLibya2013.pdf |journal=[[International and Comparative Law Quarterly]] |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=159–171 |doi=10.1017/S0020589312000565 |issn=0020-5893}}
* {{Cite book |last=Venkus |first=Robert E. |url=https://archive.org/details/raidonqaddafiunt00venk |title=Raid on Qaddafi: the untold story of history's longest fighter mission by the pilot who directed it |publisher=St. Martin's Pr |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-312-07073-1 |location=New York, NY |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Winkler |first=Carol |date=Summer 2007 |title=Parallels in Preemptive War Rhetoric: Reagan on Libya; Bush 43 on Iraq |journal=Rhetoric and Public Affairs |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=303–333 |doi=10.1353/rap.2007.0042 |issn=1094-8392 |jstor=41940147}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Zilian |first=Frederick Jr |date=Autumn 1980 |title=The US Raid on Libya – and NATO |journal=[[Orbis (journal)|Orbis]] |issue=30 |pages=499–519}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Zimmermann |first=Tim |date=May 1987 |title=The American bombing of Libya: A success for coercive diplomacy? |journal=[[Survival (journal)|Survival]] |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=195–214 |doi=10.1080/00396338708442356 |issn=0039-6338}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110326221622/http://www.life.com/gallery/58111/flashback-1986-bombing-of-libya#index/0 Flashback: 1986 Bombing of Libya] – slideshow by ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120513031018/http://margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=106363 Margaret Thatcher's statement on US bombing of Libya]
* [http://ariwatch.com/OurAlly/Libya.htm Excerpt from Victor Ostrovsky's ''The Other Side of Deception''], [[HarperCollins]], 1994
* [http://www.ausairpower.net/Eldorado-Canyon.html The Libyan Strike: How The Americans Did It (Operation El Dorado Canyon)] at [http://www.ausairpower.net Air Power Australia] July 1986

{{Presidency of Ronald Reagan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States bombing of Libya, 1986}}
[[Category:1986 in Libya]]
[[Category:1986 in the United States]]
[[Category:Airstrikes conducted by the United States|Libya]]
[[Category:April 1986 in Africa]]
[[Category:History of Benghazi]]
[[Category:1986 building bombings]]
[[Category:Libya–United States military relations]]
[[Category:Military history of Tripoli, Libya]]
[[Category:20th century in Tripoli, Libya]]
[[Category:Airstrikes in Libya]]
[[Category:Presidency of Ronald Reagan]]
[[Category:1986 in international relations]]
[[Category:Airport bombings in Libya]]
[[Category:Attacks on airbases in Libya]]
[[Category:Residential building bombings in Africa]]
[[Category:Attacks on barracks]]
[[Category:Attacks on military installations in 1986]]
[[Category:Punitive expeditions of the United States]]