LAST UPDATE | 26 Mar

Niall O'Connor Reporting from Lebanon

AN ISRAELI SURVEILLANCE drone circled above Camp Shamrock in the hills of South Lebanon as Tánaiste Simon Harris toured the facility and met with Irish peacekeepers.

Located just eight kilometres from the contested Blue Line demarcation that divides Lebanon from Israel the facility, known as UNP 2-45, is the main location for Irish soldiers monitoring the war ravaged area.

Harris, who is Minister for Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade, met with senior officials for briefings and spoke to members of the 125th Infantry Battalion.

The drone, believed to be a Hermes unmanned aircraft, was circling overhead and could be seen at times from the ground – its engine sounding like a lawnmower.

During a press conference, Harris was asked if he was intimidated by the Israeli surveillance.

“No, not at all. We’re here to do our business. I’m very proud to be here with our Defence Forces, and we’re working on our own business,” he said. 

During his 48 hour visit to Lebanon the Tánaiste spoke to Lebanese officials and said he got “assurances” from them those who murdered Private Sean Rooney will be brought to justice.

There are seven people before Lebanese courts but repeat delays in the process have meant that no one has stood trial for the December, 2022 killing.

A second soldier Trooper Shane Kearney was also critically injured in the incident.

A fragile ceasefire and withdrawal agreement had come into force after negotiations in November last year. Thousands in Lebanon had been killed in the war and sparked mass displacements across Lebanon and in the north of Israel.

The war began with Hezbollah firing into Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas and its 7 October attack on Israel.

Israel shifted its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in September last year to secure its northern border from Hezbollah attacks, dealing the Shiite Muslim movement a series of heavy blows.

Today, the Tánaiste spoke of the devastation he saw in the villages and towns on his journey south from Beirut.

He said Ireland is “in it for the long haul” and is committed to the mission.

“We’ve all been horrified to hear of a the scale of devastation, the scale of destruction, the loss of life, the level of injury, and the displacement of people on our television screens and newspapers, but it’s only when you actually come here and see with your own two eyes as you drive through a village or a town.

“On one side of the street you see some side of normality and on the other side of the street you see complete, utter rubble and devastation,” he said.  Harris believes that there will be a renewal of the UNIFIL mission and that is needed “more than ever”.  

Harris announced that he was doubling the Irish funding for the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) projects supported by Irish Defence Forces personnel serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

The CIMIC budget will be increased from €40,000 to €80,000 for 2025. This funding will be used to support local community projects in the Irish area of operations in South Lebanon.

He spoke also about the difficult mission the 125th Infantry Battalion has had in its five months in the country.

The Tánaiste said that such has been the heavy shelling between the two sides that they have spent one month in total in bunkers.

“We need to take the opportunity of being here to reiterate Ireland’s call, Europe’s call, the UN’s call for de-escalation, for calm, for a cessation of violence.

“Because, as we know in our own country, in a very different context, as we know, in our own country, the only way conflict can ever be resolved is through dialogue on a political process,” he added. 

Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, said that while the Irish troops had been unable to go out and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), they had now returned to a greater degree of activity. 

“Our 125th Infantry Battalion are doing extraordinary work at the time (of the Israeli incursion), we all know that we held our positions.

“We held the sovereignty of Lebanon in our hands, in effect at that time, and right now, our battalion are carrying on that work in supporting the LAF, the civil community and in every way it can, monitoring, observing and reporting back, which is their primary role as part of the mandate,” he said.