Irish soldiers take shelter in south Lebanon amid 'sporadic' fire across border with Israel

UN peacekeepers patrolling on the Lebanese side of the Lebanon-Israel border on Friday. Sporadic acts of violence have been reported over the past days along the tense border. Picture: Bilal Hussein/AP

Irish Defence Forces personnel serving with Unifil, the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon, have had to take shelter in the south of the country amid "sporadic" exchanges of fire across the Lebanon-Israel border.

The Irish soldiers are responsible for manning an area in south Lebanon known as the “Blue Line”, which separates it from Israel.

A Defence Forces spokesperson said there had been exchanges of fire between the Israeli defence forces (IDF) and non-state actors (NSA) in south Lebanon over the last 48 hours, which meant Irish Unifil troops were subject to "Groundhog" measures and had to take shelter in protected positions.

"The Irish troops of the 122nd Infantry Battalion in Unifil went into GROUNDHOG today at ~1430hrs (GMT) and continue to monitor the situation from protected positions," the spokesperson said.

All 342 Irish soldiers serving with Unifil are accounted for and safe, the spokesperson confirmed.

Once safe to do so, they will continue to conduct planned framework operations. 

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing sporadic acts of violence since Hamas militants launched attacks in southern Israel last weekend.

On Friday, an Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists covering clashes along the border, killing a videographer and leaving six other journalists injured.

Meanwhile, the 116 Irish troops serving with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) along the "Purple Line" between the Golan Heights and Syria have suspended all non-essential activities and are maintaining "a high degree of vigilance and continue to monitor the situation."

The situation in this area "remains calm", the Defence Forces spokesperson said.

Similarly, the 13 Defence Forces members serving with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, are all accounted for and are monitoring the situation in the region.

In recent days, fears have grown that, as Israel's conflict with Hamas deepens, other regional actors may be drawn in the fighting.

On Friday, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said the group would not be swayed by calls for it to stay on the sidelines of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Hezbollah, meaning “Party of God”, is an Iran-backed Shia armed and political group formed in 1982 to fight Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon.

At present, it has a strong military and political presence in Lebanon, a country without a functioning government or president at present.

"The behind-the-scenes calls with us by great powers, Arab countries, envoys of the United Nations, directly and indirectly telling us not to interfere will have no effect," Qassem told supporters at a rally in Beirut on Friday.

"Hezbollah knows its duties perfectly well. We are prepared and ready, fully ready."