Irish Unifil troops safe after rocket strikes peacekeeping headquarters in Lebanon

The Defence Forces said that all Irish troops were “safe and accounted for” after the Unifil peacekeeping mission headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon was struck by a rocket on Sunday, and several other locations along the Lebanon-Israel border saw “intense exchanges of fire”.

Irish peacekeeping soldiers connected to the 122nd Infantry Battlion were forced to take shelter for over two and a half hours on Sunday after exchanges of fire were observed along the “Blue Line” demarcation zone between Lebanese and Israeli territory.

No peacekeeping troops were injured in the rocket strike on the Unifil base in Naqoura. In a statement posted on social media, Unifil said that it was working to verify where the rocket was fired from.

“We continue to actively engage with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line to de-escalate the situation, but regrettably despite our efforts military escalation continues. We urge all the parties involved to cease fire and allow us, as peacekeepers, to help find solutions.

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“We remind all the parties involved that attacks against civilians or UN personnel are violations of international law that may amount to war crimes,” the statement added.

There are currently 342 Irish troops serving with Unifil in Lebanon. Eight of those troops are based in the UN headquarters in Naqoura.

Sunday’s exchange is the third such incident in recent days. Irish troops also entered “groundhog” positions - taking shelter in protected locations such as bunkers - on Friday due to fire originating from Lebanon into Israel.

Clashes at the border on Sunday has heightened fears of a regional spillover of the Hamas-Israel war.

Hamas’ armed wing Al Qassam Brigades said it fired 20 rockets from Lebanon on two Israeli settlements while Lebanon’s Iran-backed group Hizbullah said it targeted barracks in Israel’s Hanita with missiles and had inflicted casualties.

Israel said it was striking Lebanon in retaliation.