Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon fired at by Israeli troops while on patrol
The incident happened at around midday as the Irish soldiers of the 126th Infantry Battalion were patrolling with soldiers from the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Sources have said that there were so-called 'containing shots' fired at either side of the patrol to halt them. The shots, our sources tell us, came from an Israeli position.
A statement from the Defence Forces confirmed the incident and that it happened along the demarcation fence known as the Blue Line.
'The Defence Forces can confirm that they have received reports of an incident this morning involving a joint Irish UNIFIL & Lebanese Armed Forces Patrol near the Blue Line in South Lebanon.
'A number of small arm rounds were fired in the vicinity of the area in which the Patrol was operating. The patrol withdrew from the area, there was no injuries to the personnel on the patrol and no damage reported to the armoured vehicles they were operating from,' the statement read.
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The Defence Forces said all Irish soldiers are safe and no one was injured.
'All Personnel of the Irish Contingent in Lebanon are reported to be safe and well, they continue to monitor the situation in Southern Lebanon and are committed the stability of the region as impartial peacekeepers. We wish to remind all actors of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of UN Peacekeepers,' the statement added.
Tánaiste Simon Harris, Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, also issued a statement
'I want to firstly send my best wishes to the Irish Defence Forces personnel affected in today's incident. While am very pleased to report that all personnel are safe and well, the fact they came under fire while on patrol is deeply worrying.
'Today's incident illustrates the dangers that our peacekeepers face every single day while on a patrol in a region that has been increasingly unstable and volatile,' he said.
Harris added that the event happened on International UN Peacekeepers' Day as the Tánaiste announced the renewal of Ireland's UNIFIL Mandate for a further 12 months.
'Ireland is proud to have been part of the UNIFIL Mission since 1978 with 30,000 personnel have served there to date.
'We are deeply committed to this vital mission, one that supports peace, delivers stability and protects the communities in Southern Lebanon,' he added.
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