LAST UPDATE | 11 hrs ago

IRISH SOLDIERS BASED in South lebanon have reported small arms fire and some shelling as Israeli troops launched an incursion last night, sources have said. 

It is understood that the incursion did not not include the Irish Area of Operations, located near the towns of At Tiri and Bint Jbeil, but most of the movement was in and around positions to the east. The neighbouring battalion from Ghana also saw some Israeli Defence Forces activity.  

There are more than 300 Irish troops based in the South at a number of locations with the United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL.

The IDF has confirmed it is occupying positions in the area. Israel Katz, the Israeli Defence Minister said the latest incursion was for “tactical measures” and was not a full ground invasion but he added that “all options” are on the table. 

The Irish have witnessed shelling and some airstrikes in recent days as Israel struck alleged Hezbollah positions and arms dumps in the South. Sources have said the move is thought to be the IDF “cleaning up” a buffer zone.

An Irish Defence Forces spokesman said all Irish soldiers are accounted for and non-essential troops have taken to bunkers at times while their colleagues continued to observe and record interactions.

The Irish outpost of United Nations Post 6-52, just a few hundred metres from Israeli territory, has not been impacted by the incursion as yet. 

In recent weeks Irish peacekeepers and other nations have been involved in assisting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to take up positions in South Lebanon.

Irish positions in UNIFIL. The Journal The Journal

The Lebanese Government has undertaken to take on Hezbollah and this is part of that strategy. 

This morning the LAF withdrew soldiers from these positions near the Blue Line which is a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. 

The troops “numbering in total eight to nine soldiers at each point, were redeployed to their bases because of the danger to their safety”, the Lebanese military said.

The move comes after Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said Tuesday he had authorised his military to “take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon”.

The IDF, via its Telegram channel, said in a statement that it had struck 160 Hezbollah targets throughout southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours.

The statement said the strikes were focused on the militant group’s elite Radwan Force, as well as Hezbollah military command centres. The strikes were across the South but also in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut – a known Hezbollah stronghold. 

A source based in Beirut said that Israeli drones have been audible flying above the city.   

Hezbollah has said this morning that it targeted three Israeli military bases in response to Israeli strikes.

Under a November 2024 truce, only UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army may bear arms south of the Litani river, which runs around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border.

Israel was supposed to withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon under the ceasefire agreement in November 2024 but it has kept troops in five border areas it deems strategic, citing Hezbollah’s refusal to surrender its own arms. One of the positions is near the Irish outpost at UNP 6-52.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has conducted regular air strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

A statement from the Irish Defence Forces said: “The Defence Forces can confirm that all Irish personnel are well and accounted for amid ongoing tensions along the Blue Line, where the situation is most intense. We extend our thoughts to our UN colleagues in these areas as they continue to operate in, what is, an increasingly challenging environment.

“All necessary force protection measures are being strictly observed by all Irish personnel. Our soldiers continue to carry out all their mandated role and responsibilities. The safety of our personnel remains the top priority as the situation continues to evolve.”