McEntee condemns attacks on UN troops as Irish peacekeepers remain in Lebanon

Foreign affairs minister warns attacks on UN troops undermine decades of peacekeeping work as tensions escalate in Lebanon

Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee speaking to the media outside Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture date: Monday March 2, 2026.

The foreign affairs minister has called for "accountability" in the deaths of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Helen McEntee had been due to meet Irish peacekeepers deployed as part of the force in Lebanon, but the visit was called off following military advice that it was “not tenable”.

An Indonesian peacekeeper was killed when a missile struck a UNIFIL base in the area on Sunday, and on Monday, another two Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed when a logistics convoy was attacked.

Ireland provides peacekeeping troops to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

More than 360 Irish peacekeepers are currently working in the mission in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel.

The mission was established to try to maintain peace between the two countries.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio on Friday, Ms McEntee said the deaths set back decades of work by Irish troops, which was "heartbreaking", but that she could not say who was responsible for the killings.

“While the investigations are still underway, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say. What’s clear is that there is fire from all sides and I will say that.

“It is clear that this is not just in any one direction, that there is fire from Hizbullah but there is also fire from Israel here so any type of attack that is directed at and that results in the death of peacekeepers, it has to be condemned.

“But also there has to be follow-through and there has to be accountability,” she said.

Rescue workers inspect the scene of an Israeli airstrike as fires burn among damaged vehicles, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The UNIFIL mission is set to expire next year, and Ireland has appealed to the UN for its continuation. Asked whether troops should remain, Ms McEntee paid tribute to their work.

“Their reason for being there is to monitor and it’s to assist, and I think over the last number of years and decades they have done a fantastic job in particular in support of the Lebanese people.

“What is heartbreaking I think for all of us is that in a very short space of time, decades of their work has been set back essentially, and we are seeing so much of the progress that has been made, years taken off it.”

Ms McEntee said the troops were committed to their roles and had recently rescued Polish troops from a "very difficult environment", but that much time had been spent in bunkers due to ongoing fighting.

"[T]his is what our members sign up to. This is what they are there for.

“This is what they are absolutely committed to and they are committed to this mission.”

The Minister had been due to travel to Beirut on Wednesday to meet UNIFIL troops, but the trip was cancelled due to the security risk. Beirut has been targeted by a series of Israeli air strikes in recent weeks since the start of the Iran war.

Asked on Friday about the trip, she said it would not make sense to go given the volatility, saying that it is “is an extremely volatile situation and their safety and their [peacekeepers’] wellbeing is my priority first and foremost”.