The UN Security Council has adopted a compromise resolution on the withdrawal of UNIFIL peacekeeping forces from southern Lebanon.
The resolution was adopted by 15 votes to zero this afternoon.
The operation will be brought to a close in 2027, bringing to an end a mission which Irish troops have been associated with for nearly 50 years.
Under the compromised plan, UNIFIL's mandate will be renewed for a year, and then the blue helmets have another 12 months to leave.
Both Lebanon and Israel were in attendance at the 15-member security council meeting where the resolution was adopted.
According to the resolution, the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will be renewed for a final year and then followed by a year-long "orderly and safe draw down and withdrawal".
The United States, supported by Israel, had been seeking to have UN troops fully withdrawn by this time next year, however France, Ireland, Austria and Poland have been intensively negotiating for UNIFIL's mandate to be extended beyond 2026.
According to Reuters, the draft text "requests UNIFIL to cease its operations on 31 December 2026, and to start from this date and within one year its orderly and safe draw down and withdrawal of its personnel, in close consultation with the government of Lebanon with the aim of making the Lebanon government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon".
Read more: The troubled history of Irish involvement in Lebanon
During comments after the vote, the French representative warned that southern Lebanon remained "volatile" and "vast efforts" were now required to keep the peace.
The Russian representative said his country was guided by the government of Lebanon when it came to today's vote.
He went on to criticise Israel for violating Lebanese airspace, and warned that it was imperative "not to create a security vacuum" in the south.
The US representative said it was time for UNIFIL "to end", saying the resolution would ensure peacekeepers left in a "responsible, orderly and time-bound matter".
She said it was time to "bolster" the Lebanese Armed Forces as they disarmed militant groups like Hezbollah, adding the US would continue to defend Israel's "legitimate security needs".
The Israeli representaitve said UNIFIL, as its name states, was always supposed to be an interim force but had endedup lasting 47 years.
He claimed UNIFIL had "failed" in its mission and not prevented Hezbollah from fortifying itself in south Lebanon - sometimes close to UNIFIL positions.
That said, the Israeli representative said this was a "historic day" and a "decisive moment" for the region and Israel was prepared to advance talks with Lebanon.
The Lebanese representative said Israel was continuing to breach an agreement reached in November 2024 and was initiating military action which was preventing people returning to south Lebanon
He said Lebanese Armed Forces were returning to the south to take control but could not fulfill its mandate as Israel still occupied part of his country.
He said his government views UNIFIL as "essential" and would be needed to ensure Israel completed a "full, complete and unconditional withdrawal" from Lebanese territory.
Harris welcomes renewal, says Irish troops will serve elsewhere after UNIFIL
Tánaiste Simon Harris said welcomed the reneral of the UNIFIL mandate and the "intensive diplomatic efforts to arrive at this point".
He said the compromise resolution adpoted today is "more considered and provides much more time and space".
In a statement this morning, Mr Harris said that an abrupt end to the mission was "a very real risk in recent times, and would have posed major difficulties operationally and from a security point of view".
"I want to thank all the colleagues who we have worked with to get to this improved position, particularly my French counterpart."
Mr Harris said that Irish troops will continue to serve as peacekeepers elsewhere despite the UNIFIL mission being wound down.
"What I would say to the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann is, 'come what may, Irish people will continue to serve in Óglaigh na hÉireann in overseas missions' and there will be other opportunities to serve with distinction in the name of peace," he said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One, Mr Harris praised the contribution of Irish troops for their contribution to the mission since it was established in 1978.
He added that he had "mixed emotions" about UNIFIL’s mandate being extended to 2026.
"Only months ago there was a very significant chance - perhaps only weeks ago - there was going to be an immediate end, that the mandate would not be renewed," he said.
Mr Harris added: "We have a very, very long and proud association with UNIFIL mission and today I want to pay tribute to the thousands upon thousands of Irish men and women who have served Óglaigh na hÉireann and UNIFIL with absolute distinction.
"I particularly think today of the 47 members who paid the ultimate sacrifice, who lost their lives in the cause of peace."
Mr Harris said that the decision of the United States to push for the ending of the UNIFIL mission was part of their push to "contain" the costs of the United Nations and its work but walking away now would have been "wholly, wholly irresponsible".
"It would be an extraordinarily dangerous situation to have an abrupt end, an abrupt cliff edge, to a peacekeeping mission in a very volatile part of the world," he said.
Mr Harris has spoken at length this week to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, as well as his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger, on a strategy of engagement with the US.
He argued that UNIFIL is crucial for the stability of the region, and that any abrupt ending could prove detrimental.
Mr Harris has also had discussions in recent weeks with Italy, the US, Lebanon and UNIFIL itself.
He also raised it at several meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Ireland currently deploys more than 300 personnel at the military base in southern Lebanon, known as Camp Shamrock.
Subsequently, Irish diplomats in Washington DC, and in the Irish mission to the UN, also engaged with their US opposite numbers.
Labour Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence Duncan Smith criticised the move, saying: "So pressure from Israel and the United States will lead to the ending of the largest peacekeeping force in the Middle East. This move will only serve to further destabilise the region and likely lead to further conflict."
The Israeli government has been a harsh critic of UNIFIL, particularly since the election in December 2022 which brought the right-wing coalition government of Benjamin Netanyahu to power.
Last year, Israeli cabinet minister Eli Cohen described UNIFIL as "a useless force" that had "failed to prevent [the Lebanese militant group] Hezbollah from establishing itself".
Under a US-brokered deal, the Lebanese government is shortly due to present a plan on how it can persuade Hezbollah and other militias to disarm.
It is understood the proposal does not involve military coercion, but would focus on efforts to encourage Hezbollah to surrender its weapons.
In tandem, Israel is supposed to present a framework for its full military withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
The Israeli government has said it will scale back its military presence if Lebanon's armed forces took action to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
However, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has criticised the Lebanese government's plan in which an Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah disarmament would proceed in parallel.
The US is hoping that militia fighters can be compensated for losing their livelihoods through an economic investment package from Gulf states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
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Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said the Government will look at what role the Defence Forces could play within the United Nations next.
Speaking in Limerick, he said that the Tánaiste will speak with the Chief of Staff at the Defence Forces about future roles for personnel.
"What we want to do now is support them in their work up to 2026 and then engage with the UN to look at how we can continue to add to their efforts to support international cooperation," Minister Donohoe said.
He said Irish diplomatic efforts avoided the mission ending on a "cliff edge".
"We have prolonged that contribution to the end of 2026 ... the result of a significant amount of diplomatic work which the Tánaiste and Government have been involved in and gives us the best chance of adding and increasing to the stability particularly in south Lebanon."
Mr Donohoe said the Defence Forces has a proud and professional tradition in peacekeeping in a complex and risky environment.
Additional reporting: Teresa Mannion, Jackie Fox, Reuters
