Car bomb destroys last PLO office in Beirut

The Palestine Liberation Organization's last working office in Beirut was gutted in a car bomb blast that killed 20 people and injured about 100, according to security sources.

The explosion occurred in a busy street outside a building housing the Palestine Research Center, a PLO cultural organization. The bombing, which also destroyed a nearby apartment building containing the offices of the Libyan government news agency JANA, followed a similar attack eight days before against a Palestinian guerrilla headquarters in Shtoura.

Meanwhile, France said it was sending 298 Marines to reinforce its contingent with the Multinational Peacekeeping Force at the request of Lebanese President Amin Gemayel.