Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said he hopes all sides "stand back from the brink," amid concerns of a wider escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas.
He was speaking after Iran vowed to avenge the killing of Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an overnight air strike in Tehran, according to Iranian media.
"I think we are all pretty concerned about the escalation of conflict in the Middle East," the Tánaiste said on a visit to Paris, where he is attending a number of events during the Olympic Games.
"Unfortunately, the violence that's going around, doesn't give one confidence in terms of the prospect of a ceasefire.
"I think all sides have a responsibility to the citizens of these countries, and the general region, to make sure that escalation doesn't happen. I’ll be meeting with the French Foreign Minister tomorrow, and we will discuss the Lebanon situation, as well as the situation in Gaza."
The assassination took place less than 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital Beirut in retaliation for a deadly strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The Tánaiste also advised Irish citizens in Lebanon to leave "right now".
"You should not wait for something to happen, because then it will be very difficult to get out…in the event of an airport being bombed or so on."
He said more than 100 Irish citizens in Lebanon have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
When asked whether the Government had any plans to re-assess the role Irish forces play in the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission close to the border between Israel and Lebanon, the Tánaiste said he was committed to the mission.
"Our forces are professionals, trained to a very, very high standard. We are with other European countries, and with thousands of others as part of the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission.
"We are very committed to the mission. We want to keep peace within Lebanon, and between Israel and Lebanon in particular, and to avoid a war there.
"Our first priority is to protect our personnel and they're all safe right now."
