Hannah McCarthy

A  HEARING SCHEDULED today at the military court in Beirut regarding the killing of Private Sean Rooney while he served as  UN peacekeepr in south Lebanon was postponed due to procedural issues.

A military tribunal postponed the hearing until 17 September 2025 on the basis that a summons to attend the proceedings had not been properly served on the main suspect in the case, Mohammad Ayyad. 

After being released on bail on health grounds in November 2023, Ayyad is understood to be residing in south Lebanon, where Israel inflicted large-scale damage during its 14-month war with Hezbollah, the Shia militant and political organisation of which Ayyad is a member. The disruption caused by the war has impacted communication networks and impeded the delivery of legal documents in south Lebanon, says a legal source familiar with the military court. Several other Lebanese men indicted on charges related to the lethal attack on the convoy of Irish soldiers in December 2022 remain at large.  

The Tánaiste has criticised the further adjournment in the Lebanese case against the people suspected of involvement in the the murder of Private Rooney.

The proceedings on Wednesday in Beirut were attended by Nuala O’Brien, the Irish Ambassador to Egypt with responsibility for Lebanon, Joe Karam, a Lebanese lawyer appointed to represent the Irish government during the proceedings, as well as two observers from Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force in South Lebanon.

Ayyad’s lawyer was also present at the court but did not take part in the proceedings. 

Irish peacekeeper Sean Rooney and his colleague Trooper Shane Kearney were injured in an attack on their vehicle in a village in Lebanon on 14 December 2022. Private Rooney died of his injuries and Trooper Kearney survived with significant life altering injuries. 

They were en route in a convoy to Beirut to bring colleagues to the airport so they could return to Ireland for a funeral. 

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris’s statement criticised the fact “that none of those indicted for the killing appeared in court in Beirut today”.

“While the lack of progress with the criminal trial remains a source of considerable disappointment to the family of Private Rooney, the Tánaiste and the Government are hopeful that with newly established Government and court structures in Lebanon that progress will be made in bringing those responsible for the death of Private Rooney to justice,” the statement read. 

The Department said the Tánaiste and Irish diplomats will continue to campaign to have the case heard. 

“The Government has repeatedly stressed the need for justice to be served in this case and has, on a number of occasions, raised the issue with the Lebanese Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers.

“The Tánaiste will continue to make strong representations on this matter to his Lebanese counterparts, and with the United Nations, in terms of ensuring that justice is served for Private Rooney’s family.

“Private Rooney’s family has been informed of this morning’s developments,” the statement concluded. 

Change in Lebanon

Hezbollah was significantly weakened while fighting Israeli forces which assassinated many of the group’s senior ranks, destroyed much of its arsenal of weapons and inflicted billions of dollars worth of damage on the fragile Lebanese state.

The weakening of Hzbollah’s hold over Lebanese institutions, as well as the retreat of its main backer, Iran, has altered the status quo in Lebanon, paving the way for a new government which has promised greater accountability.  

After a two-year gap, the recently appointed Lebanese premier Nawaf Salam, a lawyer and former president of the International Court of Justice, announced the formation of a new Lebanese government on 8 February.

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, welcomed the new government and said the end of the political stalemate “heralds a new and brighter chapter for Lebanon”. 

In January, Lebanon’s new president, former Lebanese army chief, Joseph Aoun pledged to reform the judiciary and prevent political interference in judicial matters. Wednesday’s military court proceedings were overseen by a new panel of military court judges including General Wassim Fayadt whose appointment as president of the military court had previously been opposed by Hezbollah.

A Lebanese lawyer familiar with the military court says the new judges are viewed as better trained and more professional than the previous panel of judges which oversaw Private Rooney’s case.

Maya Yaha, a director at Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center says President Aoun’s success with reforming Lebanon will “be contingent on the willingness of Lebanon’s political factions to cooperate with a man who ultimately may seek to undermine the prerogatives they have carved out for themselves in the system over the decades.”

The case regarding Private Rooney’s killing is being dealt with by the Lebanese authorities as the incident did not happen within the immediate area of responsibility of the UN peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL.

With additional reporting from Jane Matthews and Niall O’Connor.