Kenny urges UN mandate overhaul

Enda Kenny has demanded an urgent overhaul of the UN mandate for Irish troops in the Golan Heights after Simon Coveney, the defence minister, branded the danger they faced as "unacceptable."

As fighting spilling out of the Syrian civil war continued to rage in the area, the Taoiseach said the UN needed to re-examine the peacekeeping deployment which includes 130 Irish troops.

He said he would not allow a situation where the lives of Irish soldiers were at risk.