THE LEBANESE ARMY has said it arrested six suspects they allege fired shots at Irish peacekeepers earlier this week. 

In a statement released this morning the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) said it had launched an investigation into the incident. 

On Thursday night, into Friday morning Irish soldiers were patrolling near the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil when they were approached by several men on mopeds or small motorbikes. 

They were fired upon by at least one of the suspects on the motorbikes. The Irish soldiers followed their procedures and no one was injured in the shooting. 

Suspicions are, sources have said, that the attackers were a Hezbollah team – Bint Jbeil has suffered severe damage from Israeli bombing. It is understood that this is the first shooting by Hezbollah towards Irish soldiers since Private Seán Rooney was murdered. 

In a statement, translated from Arabic, which was issued this morning the LAF said it will react strongly to any attack on peacekeepers. 

“On the night of December 4-5, 2025, a number of civilians attacked a UNIFIL patrol on the Al-Tayri-Bint Jbeil road, damaging one of its vehicles. No injuries were reported among the UNIFIL personnel.

“The Lebanese Army immediately launched an investigation to apprehend the perpetrators. As a result, the Directorate of Military Intelligence arrested six individuals involved in the attack.

“The Army Command emphasizes the seriousness of any attack on UNIFIL and affirms that it will not tolerate such actions,” it said. 

The LAF also said that UNIFIL plays an “essential role” in the south of the war ravaged country and paid tribute to UNIFIL’s contribution to “stabilisation efforts”.

“The detainees are being interrogated under the supervision of the competent judicial authorities,” it added. 

Mohammad Ayyad, a member of Hezbollah, was earlier this year convicted in absentia for the murder of Private Rooney by a Military Tribunal in Lebanon. The militant group has rejected responsibility for the murder.

The Journal has reported previously that there has been local disquiet towards the troops with a disinformation campaign blamed for provoking the reaction.  

The Irish are based at a number of locations in South Lebanon – the team which was attacked on Thursday came from the main base at UNP 2-45 – which is a short distance from Bint Jbeil and near the town of At Tiri. 

The LAF are at the centre of an effort to disarm Hezbollah at present as part of an international agreement.

The UN Security Council has voted to wind up the near 50 year UNIFIL mission after lobbying from Israel pushed the United States to veto its renewal. The mission will end in 2027.

The 127th Infantry Battalion has only recently arrived in South lebanon – they are based in a number of locations monitoring the so-called Blue Line – which is a designated international frontier between Israel and Lebanon.

The attack was condemned by Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee earlier this week.