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LAST UPDATE | 11 Mar
ISRAELI TANKS AND troops were spotted near an Irish peacekeeping post yesterday evening as they were launching a ground raid into Lebanon.
United Nations Post 6-52 is located on the Blue Line, which is a demarcation line between Lebanese and Israeli territories.
Lebanese sources have said that the IDF soldiers and the tanks were spotted on a roadway inside the Lebanese side of the line.
It is understood that the IDF soldiers and tanks were accompanied by bulldozers – troops were understood to be on foot.
It is believed that Israeli troops have raided the nearby town of Aitaroun, located to the east of UNP 6-52 in the last 48 hours. Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, had said in a statement that it had engaged in some fighting with Israeli forces in the town.
The town of Maroun El Ras is located on a hill behind the post and has been heavily damaged in Israeli bombing and operations.
It is about 30 minutes by road from the main Irish camp at UNP 2-45, which is also known as Camp Shamrock.
There are approximately a dozen or so Irish soldiers in the outpost.
Israeli tanks surrounded the tiny outpost at the height of Israel’s incursion into the region. The Journal visited the post in October 2025 and observed Chinese peacekeepers detonating unexploded ordnance in scrub land in front of the small compound.
Bombing has also intensified across south Lebanon, the coastal city of Tyre, the Beqaa Valley and in the capital Beirut, particularly in its southern suburbs where militant group Hezbollah is at its strongest.
Sources have said that it is anticipated that Israel will launch a full ground offensive in the coming weeks to take the ground between the Blue Line and the Litani River which enters the sea at Tyre.
Six-month tour
Irish peacekeepers number around 300 at present in Lebanon. The troops are getting close to the end of their six-month tour but it is understood that a number of troops who were on leave in Ireland have been indefinitely delayed, such is the amount of bombing and danger across south Lebanon.
It is understood Irish troops are not confined to their base in South Lebanon and are able to move around freely and carry out patrols as normal which includes visiting outposts.
On 6 March a number of Ghanaian peacekeepers were critically injured when their outpost, known as 5-66, was shelled. An investigation is underway to conclusively determine if the fire was from IDF forces or from Hezbollah militants.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned the “reckless strike”. No Irish troops were injured in the incident but troops from UNP 2-45 responded in a Quick Reaction Force to provide firefighting and medical aid.
The Irish also helped to evacuate the injured soldiers by bringing them back to UNP 2-45, where a helicopter then brought them to hospital.
In a statement, Ghana’s armed forces said the Ghanaian battalion headquarters in Lebanon came under two missile attacks between 5.45pm and 5.52pm local time (3.45pm and 3.52pm Irish time).
The armed forces said it was “a fallout” from the current ongoing exchanges of fire between the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Statements have been requested from UNIFIL and the Irish Defence Forces.
This morning the IDF released a statement outlining its operations in South Lebanon.
The Israeli Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said that they were moving troops from the South from near Gaza to the northern command as part of Operation “Roaring Lion”. The move is to reinforce soldiers making incursions and targeting Hezbollah.
Need more clarity and context on what is happening in the Middle East? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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