Irish officials express relief at renewal of Unifil deal

Irish troops in Lebanon will be able to patrol freely in their area of operations following a last minute deal to renew the mandate for the UN mission in the country.

On Thursday, members of the UN Security Council voted to renew the mission and include a provision in the language of the mandate to permit “unannounced patrols” by Unifil personnel.

Some countries, including Lebanon and France had sought to dilute the mandate to prevent Unifil troops patrolling without permission and an escort from the Lebanese Army. The issue of freedom of movement has been in focus since the murder of Irish peacekeeper Seán Rooney last December by attackers in a Lebanese village. Five men have been charged with the murder.

Ireland, along with other troop contributing countries and the US, sought to guarantee freedom of movement for Unifil troops in the mission area.

Military court in Beirut holds first trial hearing into killing of Private Seán Rooney

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Lebanese court charges five Hizbullah members with killing Private Seán Rooney

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Tánaiste pays tribute to Pte Seán Rooney at memorial for fallen Irish soldiers in South Lebanon

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UN peacekeeping force completes investigation into attack that killed Irish soldier

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In the end, a compromise was reached. The mandate permits solo and unannounced patrols but Unifil will “co-ordinate with the Government of Lebanon, in respect for Lebanese sovereignty,” the UN said.

Thirteen members of the UN Security Council, of which Ireland is no longer a member, voted to renew the mandate, with Russia and China abstaining.

Irish officials have expressed relief that a deal has been reached which protects the integrity of the mission. However the new mandate creates the potential for further tensions in the area, where Unifil troops have come under repeated attacks over the last year.

The militant group Hizbullah, which is dominant in south Lebanon has repeatedly accused Unifil of acting as spies for Israel.

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah said this week the people of Lebanon “will not allow a decision to be implemented despite the Lebanese government’s rejection of it.” However he said the group “would not use weapons” against peacekeepers.

“The ability of the Unifil personnel to carry out their responsibilities, independent of any restrictions, is essential,” said US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“And we’ve had long-standing concerns regarding the actions by some actors to obstruct the mission’s freedom of movement,” she told the Security Council. “The resolution adopted today includes language strongly reaffirming UNIFIL’s full freedom of movement.”

Unifil was established in 1978 following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. In 2006 its mandate was strengthened to support the Lebanese army. The mission is composed of 10,000 peacekeepers from 46 countries, including 340 Irish troops. Forty-seven Irish personnel have died while on duty with the mission since its inception.