Six Irish soldiers have miracle escape after being caught up in air strike in south Lebanon
Six Irish soldiers were among eight troops on an armed patrol when there was an air attack on a village in southern Lebanon on Saturday
Six Irish soldiers had a miracle escape after their armoured vehicle was pierced by shrapnel in a terrifying air strike in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin, who is also Defence Minister, has described the attack as a “serious incident”, but said our brave peacekeepers somehow escaped serious injury.
The air strike occurred as the Irish troops were travelling with two Polish military personnel during a routine patrol in a village.
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Mr Martin said the Irish Government had “ideas” as to who was behind the attack.
However, he said he wouldn’t be drawn on commenting yet on who was responsible for the airstrike until it had been fully investigated.
But he has called on both the Israel Defence Forces and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, to protect peacekeepers.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with the IDF launching several air strikes into Lebanon in response to Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory.
Mr Martin said: “There was an attack, either a drone or air-strike, on the village. They [Irish troops] were patrolling through.
“They had come out, it seems, from the village. Shrapnel appears to have pierced the vehicles.”
He said that none of the soldiers were injured.
Mr Martin continued: “The personnel are safe. They emerged unscathed and are back in camp.”
Mr Martin said he had already been in touch with the Defence Forces’ Acting Chief of Staff Anthony McKenna in relation to this and said he would be receiving further information on the attack.
He added: “It is a serious incident. It’s one we are very concerned about.
“It illustrates the dangers of a wider escalation of the war to Lebanon in terms of the danger to peacekeepers and the civilian population in Lebanon.
“I would remind all of the protagonists, the IDF and Hezbollah, to be very conscious of your obligations to the safety of peacekeepers operating under a UN mandate.
“We will be making representations on the basis that both the IDF and Hezbollah must fulfil their obligations to peacekeepers.
More than 350 Irish soldiers are battling to keep the peace on the front line between Israel and southern Lebanon as part of two UN missions there – UNTSO and the larger UNIFIL force.
But the area where most of the Irish operate is right on the so-called Blue Line, a de facto border between the two states that has seen a huge amount of attacks from both sides for almost a year.
Fighting erupted between Islamic group Hezbollah and Israel on October 8th last year, a day after Gaza-based Hamas attacked the Jewish state further south, killing more than 1200 people.
Israel immediately launched an onslaught on Gaza and has since killed almost 40,000 people, many of them innocent women and kids.
At the same time Hezbollah started attacking northern Israel on the Lebanese border.
That tit-for-tat battle has continued almost daily with Hezbollah launching thousands of rockets and missiles and Israel attacking with fighter jets and artillery.
One of the parts of southern Lebanon most affected is the Irish area of operations where our Blue Helmets mount patrols every day.
In December 2022, Private Sean Rooney, 24, originally from Dundalk, Co Louth, was killed in an attack on a convoy of Irish Unifil peacekeepers during a UN operation in town of Al-Aqbiya.
The town is in an area controlled by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
One man, Muhammad Ayyad, was held for allegedly taking part in the attack but his case has since been adjourned seven times.
Four other men accused of being involved in the attack have never appeared in court.
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