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Irish Times
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Ireland issues formal protest letter to Israel over shots fired towards Unifil unit in Lebanon
Ireland has issued a formal rebuke to Israel via the United Nations after Israeli soldiers fired shots into an area being patrolled by Irish peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Thursday. The Government lodged the démarche, a diplomatic letter of protest, which describes events in the village of Yaroun as 'completely unacceptable in terms of the safety of peacekeepers and the execution of their mandated duties'. The letter said the concerns are held 'at the highest levels' of the Irish Government and Defence Forces. The Tánaiste, Simon Harris, was on Friday briefed on the incident by the new Defence Forces chief of staff, Brig Gen Rossa Mulcahy. It is understood that up to 30 shots were fired over a period of nine minutes towards a joint Irish-United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( Unifil ) and Lebanese armed forces patrol close to the Blue Line, which separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. READ MORE No one was injured, but the unit was forced to leave the area. Irish troops have all been confirmed as safe and well. 'It's clear to me that the actions of the IDF were reckless, intimidatory, totally unacceptable and a clear breach of the international rules surrounding peacekeeping,' the Tánaiste said. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with Unifil, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment.' [ Irish peacekeepers come under fire while on patrol in Lebanon Opens in new window ] In a statement to The Irish Times on Friday, Israeli ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich said: 'The incident is still being examined, and from an initial investigation by the IDF, there was no shooting at Unifil, but at suspicious individuals who approached the Blue Line. 'There have been many recent incidents of Hizbullah harassment and attacks on Unifil. It appears that Ireland is not reporting nor protesting those incidents. Why is that the case?'
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Government lodges protest letter over Israeli gunfire near peacekeepers
Ireland has lodged a formal letter of objection with Israel after shots were fired in the vicinity of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The incident came during a joint Irish-United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and Lebanese armed forces patrol close to the Blue Line on Thursday. Advertisement None of the Irish personnel – who had recently been deployed with Unifil as part of the 126th Infantry Battalion – were injured in the incident. Oglaigh na hEireann said on Thursday that all personnel were reported to be safe and well, and continued to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. On the direction of the Minister for Defence, Simon Harris, a formal 'demarche' has been served on the Israeli government through the UN. It says Ireland considers the incident in the village of Yaroun as 'completely unacceptable in terms of the safety of peacekeepers and the execution of their mandated duties'. Advertisement 'These concerns are held at the highest levels' of the Irish Government and the Defence Forces, it adds. Tanaiste Mr Harris was briefed on the incident by the new Chief of Staff Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. Just before midday on Thursday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fired shots into an area where a joint Irish-Lebanese unit was conducting peacekeeping duties. Nobody was injured. Mr Harris said: 'It's clear to me that the actions of the IDF were reckless, intimidatory, totally unacceptable and a clear breach of the international rules surrounding peacekeeping. Advertisement 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with Unifil, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Ireland to lodge letter of objection to Israel over shots fired close to patrol
Ireland is to lodge a formal letter of objection with Israel after shots were fired in the vicinity of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The incident came during a joint Irish United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and Lebanese Armed Forces patrol close to the Blue Line on Thursday. None of the Irish personnel – who were recently deployed to Unifil as part of the 126th Infantry Battalion – were injured in the incident. Oglaigh na hEireann said on Thursday that all personnel were reported to be safe and well, and that they continued to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. Irish Minister for Defence Simon Harris said he had been briefed by the incoming chief of staff Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. He said just before midday, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had fired shots into the patrol area. He also confirmed that a formal letter of objection from Ireland would be lodged with Israel via the UN on Friday. 'Brigadier General Mulcahy provided me with a detailed briefing on the serious events that took place yesterday involving Irish Defence Force personnel in southern Lebanon,' Mr Harris said. 'It's clear to me that the actions of the IDF were reckless, intimidatory, totally unacceptable and a clear breach of the international rules surrounding peacekeeping. 'Brigadier General Mulcahy has assured me that all of our troops impacted are safe and well. They have been debriefed following the incident and patrols are continuing as normal today. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with Unifil, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment. 'My officials in the Department of Defence will today formally lodge a protest letter over what happened yesterday and this will be communicated directly with Israel.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Indianapolis pools open for summer May 31. Here's a list of Central Indiana pools to stay cool
Summer is starting for many across Central Indiana, and several Indianapolis pools will open for swimmers on Saturday, May 31. Here are the Central Indiana pools and when they open: The following pools and beaches open Saturday, May 31, according to a news release from Indy Parks: Brookside Park: 3500 Brookside Pkwy S. Drive Eagle Creek Beach: 7840 W. 56th St. Ellenberger Park: 5301 E. St Clair St. Frederick Douglass Park: 1425 E. 25th St. Garfield Park: 2450 S. Shelby St. Indy Island Indoor Pool: 8300 E. Raymond St. Northwestway Park: 5253 W 62nd St. Perry Park: 451 E Stop 11 Rd Riverside Park: 2420 E Riverside Dr. (Main Pool is open, kids pool section is awaiting parts for a repair) Sahm Park: 6801 E 91st St Stanley Strader Park: 2850 Bethel Ave. Thatcher Park Indoor Pool: 4949 W Vermont St. Indianapolis outdoor pools at Ellenberger Park, Garfield Park and Sahm Park opened Saturday, May 24. The pools closed for testing and maintenance after Memorial Day before this weekend's reopening. Pools are closed Mondays; open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Find out more about hours at That depends on what you consider warm enough and what time you go. The high for Saturday is 74 in Indianapolis, according to the National Weather Service. On Sunday, it could be a little warmer, with a predicted high of 77. NWS predicts wind gusts as high as 20 mph on Saturday, but calm wind on Sunday afternoon. Indy Parks expects the following pools to open by early June: Broad Ripple Park: 1500 Broad Ripple Ave. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Park: 1702 N. Broadway St. Gustafson Park: 3110 Moller Road Rhodius Park: 1720 W. Wilkins St. Indianapolis pools: Retro Indy: Indianapolis' first municipal swimming pools opened more than a century ago Willard Park's pool will be closed this summer due to Blue Line construction. Splash pads at the following parks are open during park hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Arsenal Park: 1400 E. 46th St. Bel Aire Park: 2901 W. Mooresville Road Bertha Ross Park: 3700 N. Clifton St. Carson Park: 5400 S. High School Road Christian Park: 4125 English Ave. Clayton & LaSalle Park: 401 S. LaSalle St. Dan Wakefield Park: 6021 N. Broadway St. Grassy Creek Park: 10510 E. 30th St. Haughville Park: 520 N. Belleview Place Jake Green Park: 1700 Franklin Road Municipal Gardens Park: 1831 N. Lafayette Road Frank and Judy O'Bannon Soccer Park: 1001 E. 16th St. Riverwood Park: 7201 Crittenden Ave. Stout Field Park: 3820 W. Bradbury Ave. Wes Montgomery Park: 3400 N. Hawthorne Lane Wildwood Park: 8100 Southeastern Ave. Splash pads will likely remain open through Labor Day. For more details and the latest updates on other pool and splash pad openings, go to If you're looking for places to swim until the weather improves, here are some indoor pools in Indianapolis that will be open this weekend during the same hours: Indy Island Aquatic Center: 8575 E. Raymond St. Thatcher Park pool: 4649 W. Vermont St. (open Monday only) Krannert Park's indoor pool is closed for maintenance. The water park at the Monon Community Center, at 1195 Central Park Drive West in Carmel, opened Saturday, May 24. The park with a surfing simulator, lazy river and lap pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Geist Waterfront Park Beach, at 10811 Olio Road in Fishers, opened Saturday, May 24. The beach is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Forest Park Aquatic Center, at 1077 Cicero Road in Noblesville, opened Saturday, May 24. The pool is open noon to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Morse Park and Beach, at 19777 Morse Park Lane in Noblesville, opened to beachgoers from noon to 6 p.m. May 24-26 for Memorial Day Weekend. The beach closed before it reopens May 31, at which point it will remain open daily from noon to 6 p.m. Splash Island outdoor water park, at 651 Vestal Road in Plainfield, opened Saturday, May 24. The park with a lazy river and waterslides is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Freedom Springs Aquatics Park, at 850 W. Stop 18 Road in Greenwood, opened Saturday, May 24. Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, the park features a 25-meter lap pool, a lazy river, waterslides and a splash pad for toddlers. Franklin Family Aquatic Center, at 390 Branigin Blvd. in Franklin, opened Friday, May 23. The pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@ Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09 CONTRIBUTING: Jenny Porter Tilley. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pools near me: Where to find swimming pools, splash pads in Central Indiana
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Climate
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis pools open for summer May 31. Here's a list of Central Indiana pools to stay cool
Summer is starting for many across Central Indiana, and several Indianapolis pools will open for swimmers on Saturday, May 31. Here are the Central Indiana pools and when they open: The following pools and beaches open Saturday, May 31, according to a news release from Indy Parks: Indianapolis outdoor pools at Ellenberger Park, Garfield Park and Sahm Park opened Saturday, May 24. The pools closed for testing and maintenance after Memorial Day before this weekend's reopening. Pools are closed Mondays; open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Find out more about hours at That depends on what you consider warm enough and what time you go. The high for Saturday is 74 in Indianapolis, according to the National Weather Service. On Sunday, it could be a little warmer, with a predicted high of 77. NWS predicts wind gusts as high as 20 mph on Saturday, but calm wind on Sunday afternoon. Indy Parks expects the following pools to open by early June: Indianapolis pools: Retro Indy: Indianapolis' first municipal swimming pools opened more than a century ago Willard Park's pool will be closed this summer due to Blue Line construction. Splash pads at the following parks are open during park hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Splash pads will likely remain open through Labor Day. For more details and the latest updates on other pool and splash pad openings, go to If you're looking for places to swim until the weather improves, here are some indoor pools in Indianapolis that will be open this weekend during the same hours: Krannert Park's indoor pool is closed for maintenance. The water park at the Monon Community Center, at 1195 Central Park Drive West in Carmel, opened Saturday, May 24. The park with a surfing simulator, lazy river and lap pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Geist Waterfront Park Beach, at 10811 Olio Road in Fishers, opened Saturday, May 24. The beach is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Forest Park Aquatic Center, at 1077 Cicero Road in Noblesville, opened Saturday, May 24. The pool is open noon to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Morse Park and Beach, at 19777 Morse Park Lane in Noblesville, opened to beachgoers from noon to 6 p.m. May 24-26 for Memorial Day Weekend. The beach closed before it reopens May 31, at which point it will remain open daily from noon to 6 p.m. Splash Island outdoor water park, at 651 Vestal Road in Plainfield, opened Saturday, May 24. The park with a lazy river and waterslides is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Freedom Springs Aquatics Park, at 850 W. Stop 18 Road in Greenwood, opened Saturday, May 24. Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, the park features a 25-meter lap pool, a lazy river, waterslides and a splash pad for toddlers. Franklin Family Aquatic Center, at 390 Branigin Blvd. in Franklin, opened Friday, May 23. The pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@ Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09
