The former President of Ireland and UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, has said it is important for Ireland and other countries to keep their UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Ms Robinson said the killing of four unarmed UN peacekeepers by Israel earlier this week was tragic, given the previous warning about Israeli attacks on the UN camp.
She said their deaths would also make it more difficult to keep the necessary peacekeepers in the country.
But she said she hoped countries like Ireland would remain there, as the peacekeepers had important monitoring and information roles, which could be passed on or reinforced by another international force as part of a resolution.
She also expressed concern about the killing of civilians in Lebanon and Israel, which she described as unacceptable.
