Tánaiste Micheál Martin has written to a senior United Nations official to express "extreme concern" about an incident in south Lebanon on Saturday, in which a vehicle carrying Irish peacekeepers was damaged by an explosion.
In the letter, addressed to the UN Under Secretary General in charge of Peace Keeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Tánaiste said both the Israeli Defence Forces and Hezbollah "should be reminded of their obligations to the safety of United Nations' peacekeepers".
The letter relates to an incident which the Irish Defence Forces said occurred at 8pm local time in south Lebanon on Saturday, when a two-vehicle patrol involving UN-marked armoured SUVs was caught in "an explosive blast of unknown origin".
There were no injuries to peacekeepers, however it is understood that the rear of the second UN vehicle was damaged.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said an investigation into the origin of the explosion is ongoing.
However, as reported on Monday, the Israeli Defence Forces released footage of several air strikes undertaken by its forces on the evening the incident occurred.
RTÉ News geolocated one of the strikes within the Israeli footage to the location where it is understood the incident involving the peacekeepers happened.
Irish officials acknowledge the Israeli footage appears to show the incident involving the two-vehicle patrol, but stress an investigation is ongoing.
Watch: Analysis of Israeli footage released on Saturday
The Israeli footage shows two vehicles were approximately 50 metres from the building targeted by the air strike at the time. It appears they narrowly avoided the brunt of the blast, having passed the location struck just seconds earlier.
Read more: Footage indicates Israeli strike narrowly missed Irish UN troops
Footage published in Lebanese media from the location following the strike shows one building near the roadside was completely flattened and significant damage was caused to another.
The location is just north of the town of Hanine, near the route used regularly by Irish UN peacekeepers to travel from the UNIFIL base, Camp Shamrock, into Hanine.
RTÉ News has contacted the Israeli Defence Forces in relation to the incident, but no response has yet been received.
UNIFIL said in response to queries about the Israeli footage that no comment could be provided while investigations continue.
In a statement, it said "we are extremely concerned about dangers posed to UNIFIL peacekeepers since the exchanges of fire began on 8 October.
"All parties must act to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers in accordance with international obligations.
"UNIFIL continues to engage with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line through its liaison channels to mitigate misunderstandings and prevent further tensions."
In his letter to the UN, the Tánaiste strongly urged that the investigation be completed as soon as possible.
