Christina Finn reports from New York

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has met with the President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in New York today to discuss the need for full accountability and justice for Private Seán Rooney.

Private Rooney, 24, from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, was killed while serving in Lebanon when his UN peacekeeping convoy was attacked on 14 December 2022.

The shooting, near the town of Al-Aqbiya in the south of Lebanon, a stronghold of militant group Hezbollah, resulted in the death of Private Rooney, while Trooper Shane Kearney, 22, was badly wounded.

Last month, an appeal was lodged in Lebanon against the leniency of sentences handed down to a number of people involved in the murder of Private Rooney.

A military tribunal in Beirut convicted one main defendant, Mohammad Ayyad, for the murder of Private Rooney, and he has been sentenced to death.

A number of other men, who are suspected members of the militant group Hezbollah, received sentences ranging from a few months to fines. 

The mother of Seán Rooney, Natasha McCloskey, said the sentences were too lenient. 

Separately, the Taoiseach, who is attending the United Nations 80th General Assembly, spoke to the president about Ireland’s continued support for Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL mission until 2027, and beyond.

The UN Security Council voted to end the peacekeeping mission in 2027.

Some 10,800 peacekeepers, including those from the Irish Defence Forces, have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978.

To date, over 30,000 personnel from the Defence Forces have served in Lebanon. Forty-seven Irish soldiers have been killed on the mission.

The mandate for the mission is to assist the Lebanese army in ensuring that there are no armed groups in the south.

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That has failed, given the volume of activity by Hezbollah in the area. However, on multiple visits to Lebanon, The Journal has seen the positive impact of the UN mission on the local population.

Tánaiste Simon Harris met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix today, the individual in the UN who has responsibility for the UN peacekeeping missions. 

Ireland worked very hard, along with other countries to avoid an immediate cliff edge end to the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, said Harris.

He told reporters at the UN today that he is still concerned that it is going to come to an end in 2027. Harris also met with the Lebanese foreign minister to get their latest update on what the withdrawal means for Lebanon, particularly the work that they need to do to build up the Lebanese Armed Forces.