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IRISH PEACEKEEPERS HAVE been assisting the Lebanese army and local humanitarian groups on missions as they recover the dead in the rubble of bombed out villages in South Lebanon.
A fragile truce that came into effect last November ended more than a year of conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
Thousands were killed in Southern Lebanon in the course of the conflict and there were mass displacements of people throughout the area and in the north of Israel.
The relatives of those killed in the fighting have been returning in recent months.
Lieutenant Colonel Shane Rockett, who leads Ireland’s 125th Infantry Battalion of 339 soldiers at Camp Shamrock, spoke to The Journal at the base yesterday.
Located near the town of At Tiri, it’s just eight kilometres from the line of demarcation dividing Lebanon and Israel.
The task of the soldiers is to monitor and report any breaches of UN resolution 1701, which is intended to stop the warring sides from engaging in conflict, to the United Nations.
In the autumn of last year that resolution was stamped on repeatedly as Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel and the Israeli Defence Forces launched a massive incursion and bombing campaign.
The fighting stretched north into Beirut and further to the Becca Valley close to Syria – but the greatest devastation was reserved for the diverse population of the hundreds of villages and towns that dot the hillsides in the south.
Rockett spoke about the work of his men and women and how their mission for the last five months has been fraught with danger and difficulty.
“Really what struck us on the first day when we came here was the total and utter devastation that was in south Lebanon,” he said.
As the fighting stopped the population who fled north began to return. Rockett said what they found were villages and towns razed from existence, the decomposing bodies of people still lying in crushed buildings.
From the helicopter pad in Camp Shamrock, or United Nations Post 2-45, the village of Yaroun can be seen a short distance away. The Irish troops told us that they estimate that 80% of the area has been destroyed.
Rockett said that some locations have suffered as much as 90% damage.
The Irish job has been to assist agencies like the Lebanese Red Cross and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) – and that their primary task has been to clear the rubble and the bombs and ordnance left behind.
“This mission has been different to other missions that have deployed to Lebanon,” he said.
Rockett uses the military phrase “kinetic activity” to describe the devastating trading of military blows.
“We’re finding, because of the kinetic activity and the war that was here really from the start of October (2023) right up to the beginning of November 2024, we are finding a lot of unexploded ordnance, we are finding a lot of IEDs, we’re finding a lot of military grade equipment that has been destroyed.
“We are also assisting the Lebanese Red Cross in their efforts to recover bodies from the local towns and villages.”
Irish troops don’t recover the bodies themselves, he said. “We provide the security … It’s the Lebanese Red Cross that does that.”
As the relatives of those killed return, some have turned on the United Nations – sources who spoke to us in the area this week said the Lebanese blame the UN for not stopping the fighting.
The issue is that the Irish troops and the rest of the 10,000 soldiers in the multi-national United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are bound by a stringent set of conditions in the original resolution from 1978.
“Absolutely, and again sometimes we as Irish people think that our flag protects us from everything, but the reality is that we are out here working for UNIFIL under the UN flag.
“When people were returning to their towns and villages, they were angry at UNIFIL, they were angry at the UN for not doing more than what could have been done.
“As a consequence, my soldiers would have experienced aggressive behaviour from the locals.”
Rockett explained that they have been deploying Irish Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) teams to rebuild those connections.
CIMIC teams assist the local populations in projects – the Irish have funded the construction of medical facilities, an orphanage in nearby Tibnine and also a number of drinking water facilities.
With the CIMIC teams and through his own engagement with local mayors, the UN troops are aiming to rebuild connections in the locality “in order to make sure that we are creating the conditions for a safe and secure environment for future patrols that go out after that,” Rockett added.
The Journal last spoke to Rockett and some of his team at their Mission Readiness Exercise in the Glen of Imaal in County Wicklow in October. The battalion arrived in Lebanon the following month.
We asked him yesterday if the mission has gone as he expected.
“We would have prepared our soldiers as best we could have for deployment here.
“You can do so much training but the reality is a different kettle of fish.
His team were shocked by the level of devastation when they arrived, he said.
“It was something that I certainly had not experienced before and I had been out here on a previous mission where we had seen kinetic activity, but this was on a scale ten times worse than that,” he added.
Rockett said that it has been hard to win the hearts and minds of people in Lebanon.
“If you can imagine if somebody came in and bombed your home town or village and there was a military force there, the first question you would ask is ‘what did you do to prevent that?’
“We have worked hard in the five months that we have been here to liaise with the local communities and tell them that, look, the Irish and UNIFIL did not leave. If we had left, the destruction would have been a lot worse and probably the casualties a lot worse.
“We tried to built up that, I suppose, positive relationship with the local communities as a result of our actions here.
“I know from my engagement with the local communities that they realise that and they know that had we pulled out, had we withdrawn from South Lebanon that it would have been a lot worse.”
The current atmosphere is extremely tense – the Irish soldiers are at Level Two in terms of security – meaning that firing near 2-45 could happen at any time.
“It is very unpredictable here at the moment,” he said.
Need more clarity and context on what is happening in the Middle East? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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Fair play,the soldiers could teach our politicians a thing or two,just get on with the job your given.
@Deano74: They are a peacekeeping force, they can actually do nothing just sit and watch.
@Áine G: Did you read the article,it specifically points out they are assisting in the recovery of bodies,that is getting on with the job,what did you think i meant.
@Deano74: Fablous young men and women, horrible job ,I hope there’s councilling on their return ,that stuff stays with you ..
@Gerry Campbell: They are,and paid little more than a lazy scrote gets off the dole for sitting on his hole.
@Áine G: spoken like one who has never served
@Áine G: There’s a of a lot of Irish people that would disagree with you, Áine. Personally I did a lot more in South Lebanon than just sitting and watching.
Sean Rooney will never get justice because Hezbollah still control the government in Lebanon. Israel made the fatal mistake of only destroying them militarily when they should have pushed on to Beirut and took out their political chain of command as well. Hezbollah has killed at least 47 Irish soldiers since peacekeeping began in the early 1980s. Yet people on our streets chant Hezbollah slogans and wave Hezbollah flags, spitting on graves of all the soldiers that lost their lives to those barbaric terrorists.
@William Jennings: Most Irish people don’t even have a good understanding of Irish history, much less middle-east history, or anywhere else for that matter.
@William Jennings: Hezbollah has not killed 47 Irish peacekeepers – a total of 15 died in the line of fire in Lebanon since the early 1980’s, one third of the number that you claim. You seem to be blaming Hezbollah for deaths from natural causes, accidents etc.
@Kev Kerr: They still killed 15 of our soldiers Kev? That 15 families here at home burdening that loss.
That’s not OK.
@Kev Kerr: You’re completely wrong Kev. Hezbollah and Hezbollah-supported terrorist militias have been responsible for 47 military casualties in Lebanon. Military casualties do not refer to natural causes or accidents as you seem to be claiming. Israel has been responsible for a grand total of zero Irish soldier deaths. You’re spreading blatant misinformation and for some reason are trying to cover for Islamic extremists responsible for the deaths of 47 Irish people who had families.
@William Jennings: you are incorrect, and a quick google search proves that https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41029148.html
@Aindriu MacCuartaigh: I never said it was ok, I’m merely challenging the blatant misinformation posted by William
@William Jennings: Unfortunately, one Irish soldier has been killed by the IDF:
“Cpl. Dermot McLoughlin (1987): On January 10, 1987, Corporal Dermot McLoughlin, aged 33, was killed when an Israeli tank shell struck a UNIFIL observation post near Brashit in southern Lebanon.”
The IDF said it was accidental as they were targeting a nearby group of terrorists. UNIFIL disputed this. Facts do matter. I agree with all else you’ve said, though.
@Aindriu MacCuartaigh: He never claimed it was ok. He was just correcting William lies.
@William Jennings: you have this one wrong Willie,about 15 died as a result of combat situations,Google it.
@Kev Kerr: You’re incorrect Kev. The IJO and the Amal Movement are Hezbollah-backed militias who were responsible for multiple Irish peacekeeper deaths along with the deaths directly caused by Hezbollah. Hezbollah have had a hand in all of the deaths, even if they didn’t literally pull the trigger on every one because their secondary militia groups like the IJO and the Amal Movement took their orders from Hezbollah. Land mines, mortar attacks, drive-by shootings, rocket attacks and bombs all came from Hezbollah and Hezbollah-backed militias.
@Kev Kerr: He’s a pro right wing Isreali propaganda mouth piece. By his own admission,he supports the supremacist rethoric of the terrorist organisation the JDL and Kahnism and it’s extremist ideology. He wants to, in his own words” aggressively westernise Palestine ” and he has ” no respect ” for Palestinians and deems himself morally superior. He makes fun at the proposal of 2m people been driven for their homes to make way for golf courses. He’s the other side of hatred in this conflict, along with Hamas. You’re wasting your time, correcting his twisted narrative. He’s immune to the presentation of facts and will just continue to spew his hateful bile.
@Brian: You’re like a fly to a bowl of rotten fruit Brian. You just can’t resist spewing more of your usual garbage. Yes, I want to aggressively westernise Gaza and I have no problem saying that. You want Gaza to remain a hub for terrorism by letting Hamas stay there. When Germany and Japan were rebuilt after WWII, the US didn’t invite back the Nazi Party or the Imperial Japanese military to “have another shot.” The same logic applies here. If you want Gaza to thrive, you have to remove the elements that keep it in perpetual destruction. Just fixing the economy isn’t enough. You have to embed Western values, pride in hard work, innovation and personal responsibility. Flood Gaza with businesses, American entertainment, and an infrastructure revolution and terrorism is much less attractive.
@Brian: So in a nutshell,no point arguing with an id10t.
@William Jennings: ffs William, the facts are freely available to you – did you click on the link that I shared? 15 have died in the line of fire, be that at the hands of Hezbollah or their affiliates, or as HB pointed out, one by the IDF.
@Brian: not only did he double down after I sent the link, he tripled down! Unbelievable
@William Jennings I’ve repeatedly expressed my disdain for Hamas and its despicable acts of terrorism.. but hey keep spouting lies.. its what you do best. They are extremists who want to wipe Isreal off the map. By the same token, you support Israeli extremists, like the terrorist group the JDL and Kahnism who want to wipe them off the map. You’re as much part of the problem as they are. If you think you can come on public forum with right wing propaganda and rethoric and go unchallenged then you’re sadly mistaken. Don’t forget your antisemitism card on the way out….
@Kev Kerr: Par for the course. He disputes and denys every fact presented to him. He denies Lowry is a convicted criminal even though he was convicted in a criminal court of a criminal offence.. no amount of links to facts can dissuade him otherwise, despite it being a matter of public record. That’s what your up against.
@Deano74: No, I suppose not Deano.. but by the same token, I can’t let extreme right wing propaganda being dressed up as facts go unchallenged. I can’t leave extremists like him hold court.
@Brian: I hear you Brian,he was well found out on this one,facts don’t matter to him unless they suit his agenda.
@honey badger: 3 Irish soldiers also murdered by another soldier,1982.
@William Jennings: What are you smoking Hezbollah have not targeted or killed Irish soldiers only in crossfire and action, the fact you can’t even bring yourself to acknowledge Israel illegally occupies the Golan Heights renders anything you say utter garbage.
Nice to know Israel can kill with impunity and even nicer to know our lads clean up the mess, if I had my way the IDF would be fighting a proper army.
Israel is a terrorist state who murdered over 62000 people 70%woman and children
Irish peace keepers have been in the middle for over half a century . Peace is as far away now as it was then . Feel sorry for the Irish who lost their lives , but it is a thankless task being there . That Islamist / Zionist nightmare is something to avoid . It is dragging the world into endless trouble . Send humanitarian aid , it’s the decent thing to do , keep trading , but bring Irish home . Europeans should leave it to the USA . They are Israel’s XL bully and the UN and the world are powerless to stop them . The recent conflict makes that clear .
@The Rossie: ment to say “ Middle East “
Luckily no Irish peacekeepers were killed trying to stop Hezbollah terrorists firing rockets to kill Jews.
@thomas molloy: what have you to say about the 18000 children murdered by Israel in Gaza or do they not count?
@Brian McCarthy: What have you to say about the 30,000 children murdered by Hezbollah/Assad/ Russia in Syria? Do they not count?
Just continue sending blankets and medicine over,Irish soldiers( peacekeepers)have no business there.if all hell breaks out where are they going to point there guns?up in the air?
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