Irish troops 'well and accounted for' as peacekeepers hit by gunfire in Lebanon

Rescue workers keep searching for victims at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Picture: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

All Irish peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon are accounted for and well, the Defence Forces said on Saturday afternoon. The update comes are Unifil peacekeepers were struck by gunfire in Lebanon on Friday evening.

In a statement on Saturday morning, Unifil said: "Last night, a peacekeeper at Unifi’s headquarters in Naqoura was hit by gunfire due to ongoing military activity nearby. 

"He underwent surgery at our Naqoura hospital to remove the bullet and is currently stable. We do not yet know the origin of the fire."

They added: "Also last night, buildings in our UN position in Ramyah sustained significant damage due to explosions from nearby shelling.

"We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and premises, including avoiding combat activities near Unifil positions."

In a statement on Saturday afternoon, the Defence Forces said that all of their personnel were "well and accounted for"

It said: "Military actions continue in the region with these actions being monitored by UNIFIL peacekeepers. Defence Forces personnel are resolute in their commitment to peacekeeping efforts in Lebanon.

"Our personnel continue to adhere to all necessary force protection and risk mitigation measures."

The Defence Forces can confirm that all our personnel deployed with UNIFIL are well and accounted for, and no Irish personnel were involved in this incident.

Our personnel continue to adhere to all necessary force protection and risk mitigation measures. https://t.co/73z6NvLA9u

— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) October 12, 2024

Earlier on Saturday, the Tánaiste repeated his call for the bombing to stop.

Writing in a post on X, Micheál Martin wrote: "The indiscriminate bombing and killing in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon must stop.

There needs to be full deescalation across the region from all actors.

"Above all, UN Peacekeepers must be respected and protected. The international community needs to be very clear about that."

UN peacekeepers have been injured on three separate occasions in the last week, with at least four being hospitalized amid growing international condemnation against Israel for repeatedly hitting UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura and nearby positions.

Lebanese death toll 

Meanwhile, Lebanon has put the official death toll from Israeli attacks at more than 2,250.

The Ministry of Public Health on Saturday released figures of the dead and casualties since the start of the Israeli offensive last month.

Officials said that “since the beginning of the aggression”,  in southern Lebanon the number of dead so far stands  at 2,255, with 10,524 wounded.

As well as non-combatant men and women and children, those that have been killed include members of the Lebanese Armed Forces and un-armed rescuers and paramedics.