Irish troops banned from drinking alcohol in Lebanon ... even on Christmas Day

The contingent of 320 troops of the 119th Battalion has just arrived in Lebanon and form the lead group of the 500-strong joint Irish/Polish peacekeeping force operating there.

A large contingent of Irish troops will for the first time have to endure a six-month tour of duty in Lebanon without being allowed any alcohol — even on Christmas Day.

The decision by military management to close the bar at their main base in Lebanon, Camp 245, is believed, in part, to have been prompted by a recent alleged assault that may have been fuelled by alcohol.