Terrorists launch an attack against the USA. Their first strike is by a suicide squad that detonates a truckload of explosives at an army base in Washington DC. FBI probes indicate that the attack is by Arab terrorists led by Iranians. Subsequent attacks are via airplanes exploded in mid-air, crowded restaurants, and an attack on a mall. Administration cabinet heads push the President to retaliate. The director of the FBI believes that there may be more to the story than the investigation has revealed and the Secretary of Defense is the only other person urging caution.
Acting
Hal Holbrook's exhausted president is too real.
Production
Shot on actual DC locations, budget showing everywhere.

Director
Roger Young
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released two years after the Beirut barracks bombing, it channels genuine American anxiety about invisible enemies—though its 'Iranian-led' Arab terrorist plot now reads as wildly oversimplified.
Roger Young directed this between Magnum P.I. episodes and his eventual Star Trek: The Next Generation gigs—explaining the workmanlike tension but zero visual flair.