WASHINGTON (AFP)— President Barack Obama Friday expressed hopes that Lebanon's factions would finally form a new government as he marked the 26th anniversary of the “senseless” Beirut bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks.

“We remember today the 241 American Marines, soldiers, and sailors who lost their lives 26 years ago as the result of a horrific terrorist attack that destroyed the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon,” Obama said.
“The murder of our soldiers, sailors, and Marines on this day on 1983 remains a senseless tragedy,” Obama said in a statement.
While remembering the victims of the bombing, their families and all U.S. service personnel abroad, Obama also looked to the future in Lebanon, where a political crisis has been grinding on since general elections in June.
“In remembering this terrible day of loss, we are at the same time hopeful that a new government in Lebanon will soon be formed,” Obama said.
“We look forward to working with a Lebanese government that works actively to promote stability in the region and prosperity for its people.”
Lebanese prime minister designate Saad Hariri has tried without success to form a national unity government since his U.S.- and Saudi-backed coalition clinched an election win over a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria.
The suicide bombing of the barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983, which mostly killed U.S. Marines, sent shockwaves through the Reagan administration's Middle East policy and heralded a new age of terrorist attacks on U.S. targets.