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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Ireland lodges formal protest after Israeli gunfire near peacekeepers in Lebanon
Ireland has lodged a formal letter of objection with Israel after shots were fired near Irish peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The incident occurred during a joint patrol by the Irish Defence Forces, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), and the Lebanese Armed Forces near the Blue Line on Thursday. None of the Irish personnel – recently deployed with Unifil as part of the 126th Infantry Battalion – were injured. Óglaigh na hÉireann confirmed on Thursday that all personnel were safe and continued to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. At the direction of Minister for Defence Simon Harris, a formal demarche was delivered to the Israeli government through the United Nations. Ireland described the incident, which took place in the village of Yaroun, as "completely unacceptable" in terms of the safety of peacekeepers and the execution of their mandated duties. 'These concerns are held at the highest levels' of the Irish Government and the Defence Forces, it adds. Tánaiste Simon Harris was briefed on the incident by newly appointed Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. Just before noon on Thursday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) opened fire in the area where the joint unit was conducting peacekeeping operations. No injuries were reported. 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. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with Unifil, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment.' Read More Hamas responds to US-led Gaza deal with offer to release 10 hostages
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Government lodges formal démarche over Israeli soldiers firing at Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon
The so-called démarche states 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.' The formal démarche has been served on the Israeli Government via the UN. 'These concerns are held at the highest levels' of the Irish Government and the Defence Forces, it reads. No soldiers were injured and the incident was condemned by Government. The incident took place days after Israeli soldiers fired shots towards a group of diplomats, which included Irish officials. '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,' Tánaiste Simon Harris said earlier this week. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with UNIFIL, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment.' He was briefed yesterday on the incident by the new Chief of Staff Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. The incident happened on International UN Peacekeepers' Day. The 126th Infantry Battalion deployed to Lebanon this month as part of the Unifil mission. It is made up of 298 Irish soldiers and 10 from Malta, with over a third of personnel on their first overseas mission.
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Tánaiste lashes out at Israeli Defence Forces 'reckless' firing on Irish troops in Lebanon
THE TÁNAISTE HAS lashed out at the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) for a 'reckless' incident in which they fired on Irish peacekeeping troops. Yesterday The Journal reported that Irish soldiers of the 126th Infantry Battalion, patrolling with Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers near the village of Yaroun, were fired on by Israeli Defence Forces soldiers. It is understood the incident lasted almost ten minutes in which up to 30 shots were fired at the Irish and Lebanese soldiers. A source said that the shots landed on either side of the patrol and were defined as 'containment' meaning they were designed to halt the patrol. It is understood the six Irish soldiers did not return fire and instead followed standard procedures withdrawing to their base at United Nations Post 2-45 or Camp Shamrock near the town of At Tiri. This afternoon, following a briefing by Chief of Staff Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy, the Tánaiste launched a sting attack on the IDF. '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. Advertisement '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,' he said. The Tánaiste paid tribute to the troops who are serving with UNIFIL and described the environment in south Lebanon as 'increasingly volatile and tense'. '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,' he added. HARRIS told the Dáil yesterday that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza during a heated exchange with independent TD Catherine Connolly. Last week, Harris had said that recent comments from the Israeli government mean 'we are now very much in the space of genocidal activity' – but today's comments are the first time that he has explicitly described Israel's actions as genocide. The comment comes after Taoiseach Micheál Martin also told the Dáil that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza . The Israeli forces have remained in South Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement – there have been a number of incidents in which they fired on UN troops in the area. 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. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Harris to receive briefing on safety of peacekeepers in Lebanon
The Tánaiste Simon Harris will receive a briefing later today from the new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy, on the safety of Irish peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon. It follows yesterday's incident, in which a joint patrol of Irish blue helmets and Lebanese soldiers came under small arms fire. The Tánaiste has said the Israel Defence Forces are responsible for the shooting. The Defence Forces have 298 members deployed to south Lebanon in recent weeks to participate in a six-month tour of duty with the 126th Infantry Battalion. Yesterday, a joint patrol, involving Irish peacekeepers and Lebanese Armed Forces, were shot at near the village of Yaroun which had been heavily damaged by the IDF last year. Yaroun is roughly 10km from the main Irish military base, known as 2-45 or Camp Shamrock, which the Tánaiste visited in March of this year. Mr Harris, who is also Minister for Defence, said an IDF patrol in Israel was responsible for firing across the border - something he described as "utterly inappropriate, utterly unacceptable". He told RTÉ News: "This is the latest in a range of what I view as intimidatory behaviour by the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] towards peacekeepers, or as we saw recently, Irish diplomats too. So this is not acceptable." The Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon is expected to convey the Irish government's anger and concern at the shooting directly to the IDF. Later today, the Tánaiste Simon Harris will receive a briefing from the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy, on the safety of Irish peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon. It will be the first formal meeting between the two men. The former Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, has recently taken up the position of chair of the Brussels-based EU Military Committee.
The Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Outgoing military chief: Irish Defence Forces personnel must 'push through' short term disruption
IN HIS FAREWELL address to the troops, the head of the Irish military, has told them to be committed to the Defence Forces change programme and 'push through' short term disruptions. Lieutenant General Seán Clancy is leaving his job as Chief of Staff to take up the chair of the Brussels based EU Military Committee . He is to be replaced by Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy who will take over in June. In a recent address at the PDFORRA annual delegate conference in Kerry, Mulcahy said there are significant gaps in Irish capability that needs to be filled. Clancy issued a video farewell message this morning to all personnel across the Army, Naval Service and Irish Air Corps. He spoke of his 'great sense of gratitude and reflection' and the privilege of serving through a period 'filled with challenges, transformation but also with countless moments of pride'. In his speech he spoke directly to the troops and told them to be steadfast in the implementation of the change and modernisation programme. 'We have gone beyond the crossroads of change and we are now committed to the transformation of our forces. 'The world around us and our operating environment have changed fundamentally and we must not only keep pace with these changes, we must lead the way. Advertisement 'We must be open minded and recognise that for the first time in all of our careers this period of change is marked by full political and public support. This is a unique moment and a unique opportunity for each of us and for Óglaigh na hÉireann,' he said. He asked the troops to push through 'any short term plan or disruption in order to realise the potential of this change'. Lt Gen Clancy (left) with Tanaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris as Brig Gen Rossa Mulcahy took over as Chief of Staff. Irish Defence Forces Irish Defence Forces Clancy spoke positively of the change programme to date, saying that already there has been a major building programme as well as individual soldiers, air crew and sailors getting bumps in wages as well as healthcare. 'At an organisational level there are positive green shoots appearing with major projects advancing in the area of capability development, new structures and units and work well progressed in the areas of future force design,' he said. Clancy called out issues of abuse and bullying identified in reports and by members who went public. He called the treatment of those people as 'wholly unacceptable'. He said he is 'unapologetic' in his approach to 'stamping out [that] behaviour' and said he was heartened to have received support from the membership. He recalled the murder of Private Seán Rooney in Lebanon in December 2022 and said that the tragedy had a 'deep impact' on him. Clancy said he took heart from how the Defence Forces bonded and rallied around his family and comrades. In his conclusion the General said that he has the 'utmost confidence' his Rossa Mulcahy and paid tribute to the soldiers, sailors and aircrew. 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. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
