The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has told Ireland to remove its peacekeepers from an outpost on the border with Lebanon as its invasion of the country continues.
Sources confirmed the request was made to the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and individual countries contributing troops, including Ireland. Israel has been told the troops will remain in place.
There is one Irish outpost on the Lebanese-Israeli border, which is known as the Blue Line. This outpost, designated post 6-52, is manned by a single Irish platoon who are responsible for observing the border and reporting on incursions.
The area was the scene of intense fighting between the IDF and the militant Lebanese group Hizbullah earlier in the week, during which Israel suffered heavy casualties. Some of the fighting took place less than 2km from the Irish outpost.
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The warning to remove peacekeepers from the border raises the prospect of Israel launching a full-scale invasion across the extent of the border. Incursions to date have been more limited in scale.
It is understood the Irish Government has informed Israeli officials that Unifil troop movements are a matter for the UN and its force commander on the ground. Unifil has told Israel it will not be removing the troops.
Meanwhile, two dozen Irish citizens left Lebanon on Friday as fighting continued between the IDF and Hizbullah.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the 24 Irish citizens had, in two groups, been assisted by the Netherlands and Canada in departing the country. They departed on a mix of military and chartered civilian aircraft as the Department of Foreign Affairs reiterated its advice to all Irish citizens to leave the country.
Speaking to reporters in Cork on Friday afternoon, Mr Martin said all Irish citizens who have “indicated an interest in leaving Lebanon” had been assisted in doing so and that his department remains in close contact with those who have opted to remain.
There were spaces available for more people to leave but most of the roughly 150 Irish citizens living in Lebanon decided not to. Irish officials said this may change if the security situation worsens in future.
“Obviously the situation is fluid,” Mr Martin said. “Many of the other citizens are there for quite a long time. They have deep roots in Lebanon and are not anxious to leave at this stage and indeed haven’t been for quite a while. There may be one additional (person) but essentially we have assisted everybody who wants to come out.”
Meanwhile, more than 70 Irish peacekeepers who were on leave when Israel launched its invasion of Lebanon last month are unable to rejoin their unit.
The situation in Lebanon is currently deemed to be too dangerous to fly the soldiers back to Beirut and drive them down to the Unifil mission area in the south of the country, military sources said.
Israeli troops and armoured vehicles are regularly visible from Irish outposts, raising fears about potential Hizbullah rocket attacks in the area.
The Defences Forces’ 124th Infantry Battalion, Ireland’s contribution to the Unifil missions, is comprised of 370 troops. However, there are currently fewer than 300 troops in the area of operations due, in part, to a large contingent of personnel returning to Ireland on leave before the latest hostilities.
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This leaves the Irish battalion about 25 per cent below strength but military sources say this is not impacting operational capacity or force protection measures as the Israeli invasion has significantly reduced the pace of the unit’s work.
Military management intend to keep the troops who are in Ireland on standby. They will form a quick reaction reserve force which can be sent back into Lebanon if the situation deteriorates significantly.
One possibility is that this reserve force would be sent back to help evacuate the mission, should the UN decide to withdraw Unifil troops. However, military sources said this remains highly unlikely and that there are no preparations being made for Irish troops to leave the mission area.
Many of the soldiers on leave in Ireland are eager to return to Lebanon despite the danger. “They feel they’re missing out on the action and they’re worried about their comrades,” said a source.
The battalion’s commander, Lieut Col Tom Fox, had been due to return to Ireland on this leave rotation. However, he opted to remain in the mission due to the worsening security situation. It is the second time his leave has been cancelled.
Responding to queries, a Defence Forces spokesman said: “Unifil HQ has instructed all battalions to limit movements with the ongoing situation. Assessments on the supply corridor north of the Litani to Beirut were made at the beginning of the escalations and it was determined that the current environment is not conducive to the movement of large convoys.
“Personnel currently on leave rotation were instructed to hold their return travel to Lebanon and remain on standby until a secure window becomes available to return them to UNP 2-45 [Irish headquarters]. These plans are being reviewed on a daily basis.”
Questions remain over how the 124th Battalion will be replaced next month when their six month tour ends. They are due to be replaced by the 125th Battalion in November, but the current security situation may pose significant risk to the rotation.
Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Seán Clancy this week said a decision on the rotation would be made closer to the time and that the replacement battalion is continuing its training as normal.
“Conditions will dictate whether [the rotation] can be exercised at that time. But we’ll address those issues as they arise,” he said, adding that morale remains high among the troops and that “the resilience of the soldiers there is extraordinary”.
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