Enda Kenny’s Christmas visit to Irish troops in Lebanon and Golan Heights

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to travel this weekend to the Lebanon and the Golan Heights in Syria to visit Irish peacekeeping troops who will be away for Christmas.

Mr Kenny will travel close to the Syrian front in the war against IS to visit the troops. He will be accompanied on the trip by the two defence ministers, Simon Coveney and Paul Kehoe.

The delegation will depart Dublin on Sunday and fly via Beirut to visit the Irish camp in southern Lebanon, where 200 Irish troops are stationed. They will then travel to the Golan Heights where they will visit up to 130 troops before returning home late on Tuesday.