Ireland’s soldiers in Lebanon are ‘safe and accounted for’ the Tánaiste has said.
Around 350 soldiers are currently on a UN peacekeeping mission to the country alongside and there are also around 150 Irish citizens there.
The major escalation in tensions in the Middle East in recent weeks has seen Israel launch a ground offensive into south Lebanon as part of what it claimed were ‘limited, localised and targeted’ raids against Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Iran yesterday launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister warning that the attack was a “major mistake” and insisting Iran would now “pay for it”.
On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said the safety of Ireland’s UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers is a “big worry and concern”.
“Our troops are safe, they're professional, they work with thousands of others in UNIFIL and I've had talks with varying European Union contributing countries - Spain and France in particular and the United Kingdom as well - in terms of our civilians within Lebanon, Irish citizens in Lebanon,” he said.
“Our troops are safe where they are right now and probably safer there than in terms of moving about Lebanon at this stage, given the volatility and level of activity that's going on in terms of bombing and so on like that.
“I spoke to the chief of staff this morning. They're safe, they’re well, they bunkered down last evening.”
Irish troops
The Tánaiste noted that the UNIFIL troops are “the eyes and ears of the international community now in terms of Lebanon”.
He said there are plans in place to extricate them from the country if necessary, but for now, the clear preference for all countries involved in the mission is for the troops to “stay put and commit to peacekeeping in Lebanon”.
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, 01-10-2024. Image: AP Photo/Leo Correa“Various scenarios can unfold,” he said. “We might get a de-escalation yet – I mean we should not give up hope.
“The international community has to do everything it possibly can to leverage and to try and create pressure to get all actors to de-escalate as quickly as possible.
“I do know the United States are putting a lot of pressure on to try and get de-escalation.
“The European Union is likewise behind the scenes and that will have to continue because there is no future [in this], in my view.
“Maybe some of the actors might think there are short-term gains to be had from military engagement but long term, the people will be the loser.”
Peacekeepers
When it was put to him that Israeli forces have not necessarily respected the neutrality of UN officials in Gaza, the Tánaiste said he expects Israel to respect the role of peacekeepers in Lebanon.
“I think the Israeli military would be conscious of the role of UNIFIL and I think it would respect the role of UNIFIL,” he said.
“I believe they would in terms of how they conduct whatever operations they conduct.
“UNIFIL has been in constant contact with the IDF and indeed with Hezbollah and other actors to respect the role of peacekeepers more generally and so far, that has held.”
He warned that moving to pull the UNIFIL troops out of Lebanon at this stage could lead to even more atrocities in the weeks to come.
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