Operation Just Cause: Noriega Deposed by U.S.
U.S. forces launched Operation Just Cause to depose dictator Manuel Noriega, dissolving the Panamanian Defense Force and installing president-elect Guillermo Endara. This incursion marked the first combat deployment of F-117A stealth aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, while U.S. Navy SEALs destroyed Noriega's private jet before he fled. The assault on La Comandancia ignited fires that razed most of the El Chorrillo neighborhood, leaving a scarred city and a new democratic government in its wake.
December 20, 1989
37 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on December 20
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