Irish in Lebanon warned not to rely on evacuation in event of war

An industrial area destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Nabatieh province, Lebanon, on August 17. Picture: Mohammed Zaatari/AP

The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned more than 100 Irish citizens still in Lebanon they “should not rely on evacuation options” if a full-scale war breaks out and commercial flights are grounded.

At the start of this month, the department said it was establishing contact with all Irish citizens in Lebanon as military tensions are cranking up in the region, with a spate of retaliatory attacks now engulfing Israel, Lebanon, and Iran.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said it “has undertaken significant contingency planning to prepare for a possible consular crisis as a result of an escalation in Lebanon". 

He said the department, including officials from the Irish Embassy in Cairo, remains in regular contact with the more-than 100 Irish citizens in Lebanon and that “any evacuation scenario would need to be a coordinated international effort and require extensive cooperation with key partners".

However, he added: “An evacuation of civilians, including Irish citizens, from Lebanon is likely to be a complex and difficult operation.

If the security situation deteriorates, we may be limited in the assistance we can provide. Citizens should not rely on evacuation options being possible if commercial options become unavailable.

He reiterated that the department “strongly advises against all travel to Lebanon".

Fears are growing that Iran and its proxy allies, such as Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, will launch a full-scale attack on Israel and draw the Middle East into all-out war.

The British Government is so concerned about this risk that it has put more than 1,000 troops on standby in Cyprus to evacuate their citizens.

Black smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Kafar Hamam, a Lebanese border village on May 17. Picture: Mohammed Zaatari/AP

They have RAF personnel on standby at their base at Akrotiri and Royal Marine commandos at their navy base in Dhekelia.

Hundreds more troops are on standby in Britain who will be flown out to bolster the contingent in Cyprus, should a major and sea evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon be required.

Here, the Department of Defence has said it is carrying out “contingency planning” in the event that 332 Irish peacekeeping troops from the 124th Infantry Battalion serving in the country with the United Nations have to be evacuated.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence said it does not ordinarily comment on operational matters, but that contingency planning is part and parcel of the planning in operational deployments.

Soldiers before the visit of Tánaiste Micheál Martin to the 124th Infantry Battalion at Camp Shamrock in Lebanon. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

“Given the ongoing security issues in South Lebanon, contingency planning is ongoing should the need for evacuation arise,” she said.

“It should be underlined, however, that the Government remains committed to our missions in the Middle-East, including UNIFIL [Lebanon], and the Government has no plans to evacuate our personnel currently. 

"The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely, along with our partners in the UN and the wider international community,” the spokeswoman added.