The Defence Forces are pressing ahead with plans to send more than 300 soldiers to war-torn Lebanon – for now.
Some 334 members of the 123 rd Infantry Battalion are set to begin deploying to southern Lebanon next week – despite the upsurge in violence in the area. They will spend the next six months patrolling on a United Nations peace mission known as UNIFIL.
And, despite the rocket and artillery attacks in the Irish area for which the 123 rd will be responsible, a spokesman for the Defence Forces last night told the Irish Mirror that the unit would be replacing the battalion that is there at the moment – the 122 nd .
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“At the moment, the rotation will continue as planned,” the spokesman said.
Separately, senior sources have told us that the decision to rotate – or replace – the 122 nd was under constant review.
“It is going ahead as planned, but it is constantly being reviewed,” a source said.
But if it hits the fan over there big time, then there will have to be a decision made. It would be folly to send people into an area if things were really bad.
“That would be a decision for UNIFIL as well as us.”
But the source added: “UNIFIL and the Irish troops are needed more than ever before.”
The area of southern Lebanon that UNIFIL has been patrolling since 1978 has seen an increase in violence after Hamas stormed southern Israel from the Gaza Strip three weeks ago and murdered some 1,200 people. Hezbollah, a massive Islamic paramilitary and political grouping, has its power base in southern Lebanon and has mounted a number of attacks into neighbouring northern Israel – and the Israelis have repeatedly hit back.
A Mirror analysis of Israeli attacks shows the Irish area of operations in southern Lebanon, from the village of At-Tiri down to the Blue Line that is the de facto frontier between the two states, has seen at least six Israeli attacks in the last two weeks. That included a missile strike on the Iranian Gardens area on October 22 – a site that is just 700 metres from the Irish outpost 6-52, which is right on the Blue Line.
Around 30 Irish soldiers are on that outpost – and the main body of troops is 7km to the north west in Camp Shamrock, which was just 4km from the village of Kounine, attacked by Israel the previous day. Soldiers in both sites have repeatedly gone into Groundhog – the maximum state of alert that sees them take cover in reinforced shelters – but nobody has been injured and the troops are continuing their peace patrols.
And it is not just Israel that the Irish have to worry about – there have also been two Hezbollah attacks close to the 6-52 post. They twice targeted the Bar’am area just over the border – and less than one kilometre from the Irish outpost.
There are also eight Irish soldiers at UNIFIL HQ in the coastal town of Naqoura, and they had to take cover when it was hit by a shell on Saturday. Nobody was injured.
UNIFIL said in a statement on Saturday that it was appealing for calm.
A spokesman said: “Today, at approximately 3pm, a shell landed inside UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura. Fortunately, it did not explode and no one was hurt, but our base was damaged.
“The shell has been removed and we are working to ascertain the origin of the attack.
“This is not the first time a shell hit our headquarters, and several of our other positions have also sustained damage in the past three weeks. It is a stark reminder of the fragile, tense and extremely volatile environment in which peacekeepers are operating right now.
“We urge all parties to immediately cease fire.
“We further call on everyone involved in the ongoing conflict to stop any acts that put the safety and security of civilians or UN personnel at risk, especially as these may be violations of international law.
“Despite this and previous attacks, UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in our positions and actively working with the parties on both sides of the Blue Line to de-escalate tension and avoid serious misunderstandings.”
A few hours after that incident, a captain in the Nepalese UNIFIL contingent, who are based beside the Irish area of operations, was injured when his base was struck by a shell.
Ireland has sent soldiers to UNIFIL since 1978 – and 48 have paid the ultimate price. The last soldier to die was Private Sean Rooney (23), who was killed by a Hezbollah gunman on the road to Beirut in December.
Five Hezbollah members have been charged over his murder. The group denies any involvement. The 123rd Infantry Battalion is having a parade in Kilkenny on Tuesday before lead elements head off to Lebanon next week.
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