The 17-day hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Hezbollah killed one American and exposed Western vulnerability to Middle Eastern terrorism.
Key Facts
- Date of hijacking
- June 14, 1985
- Duration
- 17 days days
- Hostages' release demanded
- 766 Shia Muslims from Israeli custody
- American killed
- U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem
- Hijacker affiliation
- Hezbollah
- Locations visited
- Beirut and Algiers (multiple times)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Hezbollah operatives sought the release of 766 Shia Muslim prisoners held in Israeli custody. They chose to leverage a commercial Trans World Airlines flight departing Athens on June 14, 1985, as a vehicle for their demands, exploiting lax security at Athens airport to board with weapons.
After takeoff from Athens, hijackers seized TWA Flight 847 and forced the aircraft to fly repeatedly between Beirut and Algiers over 17 days. Passengers with Jewish-sounding names were separated and beaten, and U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem was murdered and his body thrown onto the Beirut airport apron.
The crisis ended after some hijacker demands were partially met and all remaining hostages were released. The episode highlighted Lebanon's lawlessness, raised doubts about accountability for the perpetrators, and intensified U.S. and international focus on Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.