Irish troops should be in new Lebanon mission - McEntee

Minister Helen McEntee has stated that Irish troops should participate in a new EU mission in Lebanon, which would involve both peacekeeping and peace enforcement duties. Currently, Irish troops are part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) but their mission ends at the end of this year due to a UN Security Council vote and a planned withdrawal by Easter.

McEntee emphasized that her troops want to continue their presence on the ground and support the Lebanese Armed Forces. A new EU mission to replace UNIFIL was approved by EU Foreign Ministers last month, but McEntee pointed out that the Triple Lock legislation would need to be reformed for the deployment to occur. She clarified that the current role of Irish troops in Lebanon is primarily peace enforcement, not just peacekeeping, and stressed that this is a common misconception.

McEntee expressed her intention to travel to the Irish peacekeeping headquarters in southern Lebanon and give medals to the soldiers, recognizing their significant contributions. She also plans to meet with her Lebanese counterpart in Beirut and some aid agencies.