A group called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings and said that the aim was to force the MNF out of Lebanon.[10] According to Caspar Weinberger, then United States Secretary of Defense, there is no knowledge of who did the bombing.[11] Some analysis highlights the role of Hezbollah and Iran, calling it "an Iranian operation from top to bottom".[12] There is no consensus on whether Hezbollah existed at the time of bombing.[13]