With war spreading rapidly across much of the Middle East over the last seven days, the main focus of attention has been on events in Iran and the Arabian Gulf where US and Israeli strikes and trade disruptions are attracting global concern.
Over Wednesday and Thursday, the conflict spread into Lebanon, where a battalion of Irish troops are serving with the UN peacekeeping mission at the defacto Israel-Lebanon border, known as the Blue Line.
Here is what is known about what has been happening in the area of Lebanon where they are deployed.
The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings on Monday to villages and towns within a few kilometres of the Blue Line, saying to residents "for your safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes and move north of the line of the villages specified on the map and its surroundings."
The warnings specified several places in the Irish UNIFIL area of responsibility ('The Irish AOR'), including the main urban centre in South Lebanon, Bint Jbeil, and the town closest to the Irish outpost on the Blue Line, Maroun El Ras. A UN battalion led by Irish officers operates two outposts: UNP 6-52 and another blue line post called UNP 6-50, which is staffed by troops from a Polish contingent.
These towns are considered Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia Muslim military and political group which has operated for decades.
The Israeli evacuation order would be extended by Wednesday, when residents were told to move north of the Litani River. This includes much of the area of South Lebanon which is patrolled by UNIFIL.
As many residents have left the area, and no known independent journalists are operating, RTÉ used geolocated imagery, Arabic language and Israeli media, and updates from official Israeli and Hezbollah channels to try to understand what has happened within the Irish AOR this week.
The Irish Defence Forces told RTÉ on Friday morning that it "can confirm that all Irish personnel are well and accounted for amid ongoing tensions along the Blue Line, where the situation is most intense".
"We extend our thoughts to our UN colleagues in these areas as they continue to operate in, what is, an increasingly challenging environment."
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What is clear from available reporting and updates is there have been several air strikes, drone strikes and significant ground activity in recent days within the Irish AOR.
The Irish battalion is based at Camp Shamrock, which is about 2.5km from Bint Jbeil. The nearest village is At Tiri, which is a few hundred metres outside the camp boundary.
Local reports say there were air raids targeting both At Tiri and Bint Jbeil in recent days.
The Irish also operate an outpost on the Blue Line outside the town of Maroun El Ras. Typically, platoons of approximately 30 troops rotate from the camp into the outpost every few weeks.
A second outpost which is staffed from Camp Shamrock is typically manned by a platoon of Polish troops. It is also on the Blue Line, and overlooks the town of Yaroun.
Military activity in South Lebanon began to particularly ratchet up on Wednesday.
UNIFIL noted that "peacekeepers observed today several IDF movements and military activities", including, it said, near Yaroun.
"All of these are happening while Israeli airstrikes and other air activities continue," the statement added.
On the same day the IDF said it struck Hezbollah "rocket and missile launch sites" located within the wider UNIFIL area, including a UAV and drone production facility.
It said three military divisions were operating across southern Lebanon, and that the "deployment consists of infantry, armored, and engineering troops operating together".
On the same day, Hezbollah channels posted footage showing the targeting of an Israeli tank to the east of the Irish AOR near the town of Kafr Kila and said it had targeted another Israeli tank in the town of Houla, which is roughly 7km outside the Irish AOR.
The IDF later said "two IDF soldiers were moderately injured as a result of an anti-tank fire" in southern Lebanon.
Also on Wednesday, the Beirut-based TV news channel, Al Jadeed, reported that Israeli air strikes had hit two areas on the outskirts of Bint Jbeil. Each location is approximately two kilometres from the Irish outpost on the Blue Line, and 5km from Camp Shamrock.
Around the same time, Al Arabiya, said Israeli ground troops had pushed across the Blue Line into towns including Yaroun, which is overlooked by the outpost usually manned by Polish troops.
Much of the reporting said the Israelis did not meet Hezbollah resistance.
On Thursday morning, the IDF posted an update saying two soldiers had been injured in combat in southern Lebanon.
Across the day and into Friday, Arabic language media - including some considered to be aligned with Hezbollah - posted updates regarding air strikes or clashes in locations within the Irish AOR.
These included reports that there had been air strikes in Kounine, and Beit Yahoun, two towns within a few kilometres of Camp Shamrock.
The IDF also released footage claiming to show the destruction of a Hezbollah "command headquarters in southern Lebanon".
Although an exact town or location was not provided, it said the operation was carried out by the Israeli military’s 91st division, which is thought to be operating in the Irish AOR and surrounding areas.
It is unclear where Israeli ground troops are now located in the Irish AOR.
Historically, Bint Jbeil has been the site of major clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters.
It was a major centre of Hezbollah resistance during the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000. During the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, one of the biggest battles between the two sides took place in the town.
Despite repeated attempts, and an overwhelming manpower advantage, Israeli units never gained control of Bint Jbeil from Hezbollah.
Earlier today, the IDF said it had begun a wave of strikes in the southern Lebanon area. It said troops are now "deployed across several positions in Southern Lebanon as part of the forward defensive posture".
Major strikes are also being carried out across wider Lebanon, as part of what the Israeli military says is an effort to destroy Hezbollah.
