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Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon

Calls for calm in Middle East as Irish UNIFIL troops safe

The United Nations and Lebanon's prime minister have urged de-escalation after Israel struck Lebanon and Hezbollah said it launched attacks on Israeli positions, in a major escalation of cross-border hostilities.

Middle East • 25 Aug 24

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was elected secretary-general in 1992

Hezbollah: Lebanese group with growing regional role

Hezbollah, which has exchanged fire with Israeli forces since October, last went to war with Israel in 2006 and has since expanded its domestic and regional influence, politically and militarily.

Middle East • 25 Aug 24

A Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel

Israel destroys 'thousands' of Hezbollah rocket launchers

Israel has launched air strikes into Lebanon, saying it destroyed "thousands" of Hezbollah rocket launchers and thwarted a major attack, while the Lebanese group insisted it had been able to deliver a drone and rocket barrage of its own.

Middle East • 26 Aug 24

Three-month-old baby Rim was the sole survivor after an Israeli military attack on the home of the Abu Hiyye family in Khan Younis

Hamas: Ceasefire must involve complete Israeli withdrawal

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has said any Gaza ceasefire deal must involve the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the embattled territory.

Middle East • 16 Aug 24

Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah said: 'It is Israel who chose escalation'

Hezbollah to respond to Israel alone or with allies

The leader of Hezbollah has pledged a "strong and effective" response to the killing of its military commander by Israel last week no matter the consequences and said Hezbollah would act either alone or with its regional allies.

Middle East • 07 Aug 24

A view of the destroyed building as security forces and health care crew arrive in the site after an explosion occurred in the Dahieh area of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon

Israel says Hezbollah commander killed in Beirut strike

The Israeli military said its fighter jets "eliminated" Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in the area of Beirut, accusing him of being responsible for a rocket strike on the annexed Golan Heights.

Middle East • 31 Jul 24

Israeli security forces and medics carry the injured towards waiting ambulances following the attack on Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday

US attempting to deter Israel from striking Beirut

The United States is leading a diplomatic dash to deter Israel from striking Lebanon's capital Beirut or major civil infrastructure in response to a deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights, sources said.

World • 30 Jul 24

Lebanon is braced for Israeli retaliation following a rocket strike that killed 12 teenagers and children at the weekend

'Serious consequences' if Israel attacks Lebanon - Iran

Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a phone call with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Iran's state media reported.

Middle East • 30 Jul 24

Private Seán Rooney was killed while driving an armoured jeep on peacekeeping duties in Lebanon in December 2022

Preliminary inquest hearings into death of soldier begin

Preliminary inquest hearings have begun into the death of Private Seán Rooney who was killed after his convoy came under fire in south Lebanon in 2022.

Ireland • 23 Jul 24

Palestinians check the destruction at the UN-run Al-Razi School in the Nuseirat refugee camp after an Israeli strike

57 killed in strikes across Gaza, say health officials

Palestinian health officials have said at least 57 people were killed in Israeli bombardments of southern and central areas of Gaza, as fighting continues in several parts of the enclave.

Middle East • 16 Jul 24

Private Seán Rooney was killed and three others wounded after a UNIFIL convoy came under fire in south Lebanon in December 2022 (file image)

Delays in Rooney investigation 'deeply unsatisfactory'

Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin has written to the Lebanese government and the United Nations to raise concerns over "deeply unsatisfactory" delays in the investigation into the killing of Private Seán Rooney in late 2022.

Ireland • 02 Jul 24

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment of the village of Khiam in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel

Spread of war to Lebanon 'potentially apocalyptic' - UN

The UN humanitarian chief has voiced alarm at the prospect of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza spreading to Lebanon, warning that it was "potentially apocalyptic".

Middle East • 26 Jun 24

A man searches through charred debris in a room at Asma school in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City

Any deal that excludes truce 'not an agreement' - Hamas

The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has said that any deal that does not guarantee a ceasefire and an end to Israel's offensive in Gaza is "not an agreement".

Middle East • 25 Jun 24

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment of the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon

UN head says Lebanon must not become 'another Gaza'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah must not turn Lebanon into "another Gaza".

Middle East • 21 Jun 24

A smoke plume billows during Israeli bombardment across the border in south Lebanon earlier

Operational plans for Lebanon offensive 'approved' - IDF

The Israeli military has said operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon are "approved and validated" as Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement carry out cross-border exchanges of fire.

Middle East • 18 Jun 24

The commander was the most senior member of the group killed in eight months of fire between Israel and Hezbollah

Hezbollah fires rockets on Israel after strike

The Israeli military said successive rocket barrages were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon the previous day.

World • 12 Jun 24

The army said the attacker, a Syrian national, was detained and taken to hospital for treatment and soldiers were searching through the area for other gunmen

Gunman fires shots at US Embassy in Lebanon

A gunman fired shots at the US Embassy in Lebanon and was wounded in an exchange of fire with troops, the Lebanese army has said.

Middle East • 05 Jun 24

Israeli army tanks deployed in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza

Complete Israeli withdrawal needed for truce deal - Hamas

Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that the group could not agree to a deal that does not secure a clear Israeli position on a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal from Gaza.

Middle East • 04 Jun 24

Hezbollah members during an event gathering to mark annual Quds Day commemorations in Beirut on 5 April

Why conflict with Israel is the last thing Lebanon needs

The sectarian tensions that fuelled Lebanon's decades-long civil war are meant to have faded, but memories of a civil war, which ended in 1990, lie just beneath the surface.

Middle East • 29 May 24

Micheál Martin said the Irish troops in the region 'operate a first-class operation'

Tánaiste visits Irish UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence has praised the work of the Defence Forces serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Ireland • 19 May 24

Hezbollah said they fired 'dozens of rockets' at Kiryat Shmona

One killed by Hezbollah rocket strikes in northern Israel

Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it launched dozens of rockets at Kiryet Shmona, an Israeli town over the border, in response to deadly Israeli strikes on the village of Hebbariyeh in southern Lebanon yesterday.

Middle East • 27 Mar 24

Thirty Irish peacekeepers are stationed at UNP-652 on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Watch: Life at a UN outpost on the Lebanon-Israel border

What's life like for Irish soldiers based at a remote outpost on one of the most volatile frontiers in the Middle East?

Middle East • 01 Mar 24

Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon say they are taking precautions to protect themselves

Irish peacekeepers observe Israel use white phosphorus

Civic leaders in southern Lebanon have raised fears for the safety of civilians due to the use by Israel of the chemical weapon white phosphorus along the border between Israel and Lebanon.

Middle East • 29 Feb 24

A Mowag armoured personnel carrier at Camp Shamrock in Lebanon

Watch: On patrol with Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon

What is it like to drive one of the armoured personnel carriers used by Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon?

Middle East • 29 Feb 24

Lt. Col Stephen Mac Eoin said Irish troops are preparing any any further escalation in violence

Irish troops preparing for rise in violence in Lebanon

The battalion commander in charge of Irish and Polish peacekeepers in south Lebanon has said his troops are preparing for an escalation of violence between Hezbollah militants and Israel.

World • 28 Feb 24