"This has definitely been the worst that I have ever seen."
It's late afternoon in southern Lebanon, and Lieutenant Colonel Shane Rockett is delivering his assessment of the Irish zone of control, as we stand in the 20C degree heat.
Southern Lebanon has been hammered by the Israel Defence Forces since September, as it sought to destroy the Lebanese militia and political movement Hezbollah, which had been firing rockets into northern Israel daily.
The destruction to homes and infrastructure here has been immense.
"We have 14 towns and villages in our area of operations, and in the vast majority there has been at least 50 to 90% damage," says Lt Col Rockett, who is the Officer Commanding the 125th Infantry Battalion.
"Some have been [damaged] less than others, particularly the towns that are nearer the border with Israel - they are the ones that have been most affected," he adds.
Describing the current situation in such stark terms is instructive, given Lt Col Rockett has previously served three tours of Lebanon; three tours of duty in Kosovo; as well as having been a Company Commander in Liberia and a military observer in Western Sahara.
The Officer Commanding is tall, with a distinct military bearing, and held in very high regard by his subordinates.
Strict but fair, was how one soldier described him to me.
Lt Col Rockett also likes to answer questions directly.
In the fading sunshine, he was asked by the visiting media pack how long it would take to rebuild southern Lebanon.
"Years and billions and billions of dollars," was the crisp response.
One of the many problems facing the Lebanese population here is that the central government does not have billions of dollars to dish out.
Lebanon is a country in dire financial straits, which recently received a visit from the International Monetary Fund to try and rescue its faltering economy.
So, there's little expectation in southern Lebanon that their dire situation will be a short-term crisis.
The Irish 125th Infantry Battalion deployed to the area in November as part of UNIFIL - the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Lt Col Rockett is responsible for 330 Irish and nine Maltese troops, who work alongside 218 Polish and 15 Hungarian personnel in what's known as 'Sector West' of the UNIFIL mission.
The Irish base is affectionately called 'Camp Shamrock' and is situated near the town of At Tiri - roughly 7km from the Blue Line separating Israel from Lebanon.
Ireland has two observation posts on the line of separation, each with platoon strength - roughly 30 soldiers.
It was a tough start for the 113 Irish Defence Forces personnel who were deployed on their first tour of duty overseas, as much of their initial time was spent hunkering down in bunkers amid an intense IDF bombardment called 'Northern Arrows'.
With a shaky ceasefire now in place, the Irish peacekeepers are back out on patrol in their white Armoured Personnel Carriers and engaging with a distraught and sometimes angry local population.
Lt Col Rockett says freely that it's hard to win hearts and minds given the circumstances.
"If you can imagine: if somebody came in and bombed your home, town or village, and there was a military force there, the first question you would ask is 'What did you do to prevent that?'"
He adds: "We have worked hard in the five months that we have been here to liaise with the local communities and tell them that, look, the Irish and UNIFIL did not leave. If we had left, the destruction would have been a lot worse and probably the casualties a lot worse."
It's going to be a hard sell, but the Irish blue helmets believe their record of service in the area since 1978 will stand to them.
The Officer Commanding the 125th Battalion believes his soldiers' hard graft will pay off, as they assist the Lebanese put some order on their lives.
"We have been doing route clearance in a lot of cases in order to enable the local population to come back into southern Lebanon and go back to their towns and villages.
"A lot of our work has been critical in enabling that freedom of movement."
Irish peacekeepers have also been helping to retrieve the dead from destroyed buildings, in cooperation with the Red Crescent, and defusing unexploded rockets and artillery rounds.
They are also assisting the Lebanese Armed Forces in their efforts to try and establish control over the rugged terrain.
But it is still tense.
Only last weekend, a rocket attack from southern Lebanon on northern Israel led to a two-day retaliation from the IDF which left at least seven Lebanese dead.
Lt Col Rockett acknowledges that the situation is "very unpredictable" but gives praise to both Israel and Lebanon for not allowing a full return to hostilities.
But he then continues: "This is the Middle East. This is south Lebanon. At any stage this place can go back to the war … fighting … that we saw a couple of months ago."
Just to underline that fact, a noisy surveillance drone had been circling over our heads all afternoon, as Tánaiste Simon Harris met the troops at Camp Shamrock, which is officially called UNP 2-45.
Press Association photographer Niall Carson managed to snap the drone, which he felt looked like a Hermes unmanned device - technology which could have only belonged to the IDF.
An honour to visit Lebanon today to thank the member and women of @defenceforces for their incredible work for the cause of peace and to be briefed directly on the situation in the region and see first hand the environment in which are troops serve. pic.twitter.com/8O0v4IgAZQ
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 26, 2025
Lt Col Rockett, who is a native of Carrick-on-Suir in Co Tipperary, is a firm believer that the right training prepares soldiers for any eventuality - including the crucible of conflict.
"That is what we do in the Defence Forces: we train for these conditions.
"We train hard, so that we can do things like peacekeeping quite easily.
"But it does not come without its various challenges," he said.
That said, while military families are aware of what UN peacekeepers do, it's not necessarily the same for the wider population.
Lt Col Rockett wanted to take the opportunity of informing the public about the calibre of his troops.
"We deployed at a time when we were coming into a war zone. For me, the bravery of the Irish soldiers who decided to step forward and onto the plane and deploy, for me as a commander, you cannot get a better Irish person than that - somebody who steps into the face of adversity."
That was echoed by the visiting Tánaiste who told the troops yesterday: "What you do here, on an ongoing basis, turns our words of commitment to peacekeeping into a reality, and contributes to supporting peace and security in the region.
"I know I speak on behalf of everyone back home when I say that your work and your actions fill every Irish person with pride. Go raibh míle, míle maith agaibh," he concluded.
