The Defence Forces are “aware of a number of reported incidents of aggressive postures” adopted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Lebanon in recent days, but said all Irish personnel are safe and well.
Irish soldiers reported being observed while on patrol as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) on Tuesday night. This incident occurred near Maroun Ar-Ras and involved members of the 125th Infantry Battalion who were working alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces.
“The Irish personnel noted the presence of a laser light near their position; this frequently indicates that they were being observed using an optical sight which includes a laser light module,” a spokesperson for the Defence Forces said.
“Such laser lights are not generally harmful; however, their use is unwelcome and was reported by patrol. It is understood that this incident was protested by Unifil.”
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No injuries to any UN personnel have been reported and all Irish personnel are “safe and well”, the spokesperson added.
“Our soldiers continue to operate effectively and are committed to their important role to provide stability and act as an independent observer in the region.”
The Irish peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, first established in 1978, is to be extended for another year, Tánaiste Simon Harris confirmed on Tuesday. At present Ireland has 340 members of the 125th Infantry Battalion deployed in the country.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Unifil said it is “concerned by the recent aggressive posture” of the IDF.
In one incident on Tuesday, peacekeepers observed two shots being fired from south of the Blue Line – a UN-mapped demarcation separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights – with one of them hitting the Unifil base near the village of Kfar Shouba.
Unifil said this incident was the first of its kind since Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hizbullah agreed to a ceasefire on November 27th. Since then Unifil said it has observed at least four other incidents involving IDF fire near its positions along the Blue Line.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the incident.
“In recent days, Unifil has also observed other aggressive behaviour by the IDF towards peacekeepers performing operational activities in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701,” a spokesperson for Unifil said, referring to a UN resolution originally adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Israel and Hizbullah.
Any unauthorised crossing of the Blue Line by land or air from any side constitutes a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
In another incident south of Alma ash-Shaab on May 7th, laser beams were pointed towards a Unifil patrol from two IDF Merkava tanks. As the patrol began to move, a drone flew approximately five metres above it, following the patrol for about a kilometre, Unifil said in a statement.
Separately, on the same day, an aerial vehicle repeatedly flew over a Unifil position east of Houla, the statement added. – Additional reporting Reuters
