Simon Harris urges against ‘any acts that would put peacekeepers at harm' after UNIFIL position in Lebanon hit with IDF fire
All Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are 'safe and well' following 'aggressive postures adopted by the Israeli Defence Forces' in recent days, which included a UN peacekeeping position being hit with direct fire and Irish personnel being among those observed by an 'unwelcome' laser light.
Irish personnel performing a patrol with the Lebanese army last night noted 'the presence of a laser light near their position; this frequently indicates that they were being observed using an optical sight which includes a laser light module,' a spokesperson for the Irish Defence Forces said.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Over 200 protest US military use of Irish airspace at Shannon Airport
Over 200 people have staged a protest at Shannon Airport to protest against the US military use of Irish airspace and to stop what they say is the transportation of weapons destined for Israel. The rally was organised by the Limerick branch of Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and Shannonwatch. "Failing the stopping of American military going through, at the very minimum, the Government should be inspecting the planes to see what's on them and to ensure they're not carrying weapons," said Zoë Lawlor, Chairperson of the IPSC. "We also are demanding sanctions from the government on Israel. I mean, the situation now is catastrophic. They're going to occupy Gaza City, intensifying the genocide. It's going to be even more bloody. "They're deliberately starving people to death, and it is because of the impunity that all states, including Ireland, have granted to Israel that we've gotten to this stage. "We want the full implementation of the Occupied Territories Bill with services included, and we want the Central Bank to stop regulating Israel's war bond." 'Waiting for your own death' Tamara Nijim is a Palestinian woman living in Ireland for the past two years. She has been joined by her sister Marah, whom she managed to here on a scholarship three months ago. Marah addressed the rally on the situation she fled from. "All I can say is it's a nightmare that is not stopping. It's a nightmare we're not walking from it. It's waiting for your own death by seconds, waiting to see yourself as an orphan, waiting to see your home bombed, waiting to lose your friends, waiting to be killed. "That's what I can say. It's worse than a movie. It's the worst thing ever. It's a war. It's genocide." Tamara says it's very difficult for them to leave family behind in Gaza. She moved here one month before the war to finish her studies "We're here at Shannon today because our families are really, really struggling. They're starving and now they can die any minute, and it's very, very difficult. "We're here to object in what is going on. And because this is genocide going in there and we try to stop as much as we can the things that are happening there. Because any rocket, any bomb that could pass, could be the reason for a family death in a couple of seconds, a couple of minutes" Tamara says there is a price for speaking out but she and her sister cannot stand by and say nothing "We're here to talk about what's going on but it's still very difficult, because there's a price for speaking up about the situation, because once you speak up, your name goes all over the internet. "You might also lose your family, but we all have something to lose, and we have to speak for the people of Palestine. We should not be also only thinking about our only family, because everybody in Palestine is our family."
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Man, 20, arrested in connection with attempted arson attack at Conor McGregor's Dublin pub
It is currently unknown what the motive was for the arson attack BLAZE PROBE Man, 20, arrested in connection with attempted arson attack at Conor McGregor's Dublin pub A MAN has been arrested in connection with the attempted arson attack at Conor McGregor's Dublin pub last month. The Black Forge Inn pub suffered criminal damage on July 25 when the arsonist used a flammable liquid at the front of the premises and set it on fire. Advertisement 4 A man has been arrested in connection with the arson attack at the pub Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 4 The shocking incident occurred on Friday, July 25 Credit: X / dubslife1 4 It was the second time that the McGregor's pub was targeted in an arson attack Credit: Refer to Caption The man was arrested on Friday by the gardai attached to the Special Detective Unit (SDU). SDU regularly deals with serious threats against the State and is engaged in investigations into arson and terrorist offences. He remains detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Dublin region. It is currently unknown what the motive was for the arson attack. Advertisement The spokesperson for Gardai added: "Gardaí attached to An Garda Síochána's Special Detective Unit have arrested a male in connection with the investigation into Criminal Damage at a licensed premises in the South Dublin area on Friday, 25th of July 2025,' a garda spokesperson said this morning. "The male, aged in his 20s, was arrested yesterday, 8th of August 2025 and remains detained at a Garda station in the Dublin region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. "An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time." The cops confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing. Advertisement Flames were visible coming from the UFC fighter's establishment in the early hours of Friday, July 25, with smoke seen emerging from the entrance to the building. Dublin Fire Brigade and gardai rushed to the scene when the alarms were raised. Gardai and RSA measures aimed at driving crash deaths on Irish roads The fire crew from Dolphins Barn used a high-pressure hose reel and one fire engine to combat the fire. They confirmed that there were no injuries at the scene following the incident. Advertisement Gardai were examining the CCTV from the area in a bid to identify the suspect earlier in the investigation. They were also examining the scene of the arson attack in a bid to gather evidence. This is the second time McGregor's pub has been targeted in an arson attack. In 2022, a petrol bomb was thrown at the bar but it failed to ignite. Advertisement Following that incident, McGregor also installed bullet proof windows in the pub.
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
Inside Port au Prince: Purge-like gang violence, drone strikes and millions going hungry
LAST UPDATE | 6 Aug AN AID WORKER in the Haitian capital of Port au Prince likened the heavy fighting in the city to the horror film 'The Purge' when he spoke to us in March of last year. Matt Knight, country director in Haiti for the Irish charity GOAL, says the situation has only deteriorated further since then, with 1.4 million people now internally displaced within the Caribbean nation. Knight spoke to The Journal as efforts continue to secure the release of Mayo woman Gina Heraty and seven others, including a three-year-old child, abducted from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage on the outskirts of the city over the weekend . Haiti has suffered multiple social and political collapses since the days of a long-running dynastic dictatorship which ended in the 1980s. The Haiti earthquake of 2010 destabilised the fragile state much further, with the latest outbreak of gang-led violence beginning five years ago as a feeble government struggled to contain domestic unrest. The violence has spiralled from there and now the gangs have control of 90% of the capital city, with their tentacles also reaching out into the jungles of the interior. Knight, one of Gina Heraty's fellow humanitarians in Port au Prince, runs a team of aid workers spread out across the city. Based on his experiences living and working in Haiti, he says what was already a desperate situation is continuing to deteriorate. 'According to UN figures half the population are in need of humanitarian assistance – it's gone up to about six million over the last year when it was 2.6 million last year. 'That is an extra three million people who just don't know where their next meal is coming from – Haiti is now in the top five countries at risk of famine. 'It is a really, really serious situation and compounded by that security issue.' Gang wars have raged across the country and the capital in particular in recent months. To combat the problem the ailing Haitian government hired American mercenaries to try and find a way to quell the violence. A Kenyan deployment last year of hundreds of police officers to Haiti in a US-funded and UN-backed mission to help local law enforcement secure the country has failed to bring peace. Kidnapping of local people has been a daily reality but the kidnapping of a foreign aid worker is a departure from the norm – this has worried security sources we spoke to in Haiti and elsewhere. A security source in the region has said that the assessment regarding those Kenyan forces is that they were ill-prepared for what they faced and because of the continuing danger many are now remaining inside their compounds. Advertisement As a result the fighting is often left to the murky mercenary groups, particularly ones from the US, who are now using tactics taken from the Ukraine war. They are using first-person view explosive drones to attack the gangs. In one high profile attack last month, sources said, a major player in one of the gangs suffered severe burns. That attack was launched as many of the gangsters were watching a football match inside their enclaves across the city. Video has also emerged of drone blasts targeting roving groups of gunmen inside heavily fortified locations. It has meant that gang leaders, such as Jimmy 'Barbecue' Chérizier – the leader of the group believed to be behind the orphanage kidnappings, Viv Ansanm – have sourced heavily armoured cars and are taking security measures to defend against the drones. People in Port au Prince gather water from burst water pipes. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Febrile atmosphere Knight said it is not all disaster in Haiti with some areas across the island nation relatively safe. The biggest challenge for his team, which is made up of local Haitians, is getting in and out of gang controlled areas. What they have done is develop a set strategy to liaise closely with the gangs to allow free passage – he believes this has been working as the gangs are also benefiting from the food aid he and his team are distributing. Knight said at this stage, it is clear that Haitians are now sick of the gang violence and that there is a movement by local people to take action. 'There comes a point where everybody gets sick of it and the tide will turn. We have seen that in terms of the response to the armed groups. 'In some instances the community has armed themselves and responded to the armed gangs and dealt with them in a kind of vigilante fashion. 'It's not ideal, and what everybody needs is a workable political solution, and that doesn't appear to be just around the corner – it's complicated.' Matt Knight, who is country director of Irish charity GOAL inside Port au Prince. GOAL GOAL Local solution Knight said locals are speaking about Haiti's possible solution being similar to that achieved in El Salvador in Central America. Heavy handed police tactics were used to arrest gangsters and there was also direct negotiations to control the gangs. Knight's message to the international community is that there needs to be a massive influx of funding to help build a major humanitarian response. While he had warm praise for the Irish Government efforts to fund his work in the country he was very critical of the cuts to USAID by the Trump regime. 'We're allowing gangs to have far more power than they should have because of the lack of funding. I think if we were able to make the communities more resilient, they would be able to deal with these kind of problems internally.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. 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