Two hundred Irish troops have returned home to an enthusiastic welcome from their friends and family.
The 124th Infantry Battalion have been stationed in South Lebanon for the past six months - a time of escalating conflict in the Middle East - but this afternoon, flew into Dublin Airport as part of a planned rotation of troops.
Troop Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Fox, described it as the most dangerous deployment he had ever been on.
“Particularly in the last two months, when Israel’s ground invasion occurred in south Lebanon, it presented new challenges for us,” he said.
“Challenges that we stood up to and I’m glad to say that we were able to continue our mission and to execute it successfully [thanks to] the professionalism of the Defence Forces.”
Troops homecoming. 25/11/24. Image by: NewstalkDuring their deployment, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli Government responded by announcing a "limited, localised and targeted" ground operation against the group.
Lebanon has said the operation has caused the deaths of over 3,000 people and some of the fighting has been carried out close to where Irish troops are stationed.
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In October, following reports that three UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) soldiers came under Israeli fire, the Defence Forces’ Chief of Staff Seán Clancy confirmed no Irish troops had been hurt.
General Clancy also condemned the behaviour of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) as “reckless” and “intimidatory”, while Tánaiste Micheál Martin called for “an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon between Hezbollah and the IDF”.
Ceasefire
Today, Reuters have reported that the Israeli Cabinet could meet tomorrow to approve a ceasefire.
Israel’s UN Ambassador said a deal is not “finalised” but the country is “moving forward” towards an agreement.
Main images shows a young girl waiting for her father to return from Lebanon. Image by: Newstalk.
