Simon Coveney: Troop rotation will go ahead.

Irish troops will remain on peacekeeping duty in the contested Golan Heights territory despite armed clashes and rebel attacks on United Nations soldiers.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney said last night that pulling Irish troops out of the area between Syria and Israel could contribute to instability in the region.

His comments came after Israel yesterday shot down a Syrian jet, saying the army aircraft had strayed less than a mile into its airspace in the Golan Heights.

Mr Coveney updated the Cabinet yesterday on the UNDOF mission for 130 Irish troops keeping peace in between the two nations.

He later said the rotation of Irish troops in the Golan Heights would begin next month. Some restructuring to the mission would be required though, he signalled, including possible changes to military equipment.

Deteriorating security in the area forced UNDOF to move behind Israeli lines in recent weeks. This followed Irish troops coming under fire when extracting Fijian UN troops trapped by rebels.

The mission is a ‘Chapter Six’ peace observation role for Irish troops, but has dramatically changed in recent weeks, a move which forced the UN security council to review its future.

Mr Coveney said he welcomed the renewed support from the security council for UNDOF. But the ability for the mission to finish its mandate was for now compromised, he admitted.

Mr Coveney asked TDs if we were better off having a UN presence in a relatively safe zone in order to try and deliver stability. He pointed out that the last thing the Middle East needed was a war between Syria and Israel. So do we just pull out and “allow this thing collapse?” he asked.

Some Opposition TDs suggested it was too dangerous now to keep Irish troops in the area, particularly so after the decision by the US to directly bomb Islamic militant locations in Syria, warned People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett.

Mr Coveney replied that US bombing was unlikely to take place near the Golan Heights. Rebel forces in the area were not part of ISIS but an offshoot of Al Qaida, he said. “In my view, if Ireland were to pull out of this, it would result in this mission having a very destabilised future.