The Government has imposed a ban to prevent the United States shipping munitions through State airports to Israel, in a further diplomatic signal of Ireland's opposition to Israel's bombing in Lebanon.
"In light of the changing situation since the conflict has escalated, any request to transport weapons through Shannon for use in that conflict will be refused. Those flights will not be allowed land in Ireland," said a Foreign Affairs official.
The decision was entirely consistent with the efforts by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, to push for a United Nations-organised ceasefire in the conflict, a spokeswoman said.
"The Minister has made his desire for a ceasefire clear on many occasions so this action is entirely consistent with that. It has come about since the campaign began," she said.
The Department of Transport last gave permission on May 11th to a civilian aircraft carrying weaponry for Israel, other than light arms carried by soldiers, to use Shannon.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has rejected charges that it has already refused permission to Israeli-bound arms-carrying aircraft, insisting that no request was made.
The Government has also denied that it has refused requests by the US military to transport consignments through Shannon of 600lb "bunker-buster bombs" that are responsible for some of the worst damage in Lebanon.
In particular, the Department of Foreign Affairs official said it was untrue that a US charter aircraft carrying munitions for Israel had to use Prestwick in Scotland after it was refused permission to land in Shannon.
The department was embarrassed in February when it emerged that a freight aircraft carrying Apache military attack helicopters had used Shannon without permission.
The US military's use of Shannon to ferry troops to and from Iraq is a central part of the airport's business, although one company, World Airways, has already moved to Leipzig in Germany.