Tánaiste Micheál Martin has written to the United Nations raising his “extreme concern” after Irish peacekeepers were caught up in what is thought to have been an Israeli drone strike.
An armed patrol which included six Irish soldiers got caught up in the air attack in Lebanon last Saturday. None of them were injured but damage was sustained by the two armoured utility vehicles in which they were travelling.
In a letter to UN under secretary general Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who is in charge of peacekeeping, Mr Martin is understood to have expressed his “extreme concern” at the incident, saying it illustrates the growing danger of escalation in the region.
A source familiar with the content of the letter said Mr Martin underlined his belief that both the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and Hizbullah “should be reminded of their obligations to the safety of United Nations’ peacekeepers”.
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He expressed Ireland’s continued commitment to the Unifil mission and strongly urged an investigation into the incident be completed as soon as possible.
Irish Government and defence officials are satisfied that video footage released by the IDF shows a drone strike by Israeli forces on the village of Hanine, which is within the zone patrolled by Irish troops stationed with the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Irish officials are expected to demand answers on whether Israeli forces knew Unifil peacekeepers were present in the area. The UN typically shares advance details of its patrols with armed parties in the region, including the IDF, Hizbullah and the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The IDF said it was one of several strikes on “Hizbullah military structures and a weapons storage facility in the areas of Hanine, Ayta ash Shab, Khiam, and Blida in southern Lebanon.”
Following the explosion, two vehicles can be seen driving away from its epicentre and around a corner. Irish sources said these are believed to have been the Unifil AUVs carrying the Irish and Polish troops.
The Israeli embassy in Dublin said on Monday it was making inquiries about the strike in Hanine.
“In the meantime, it is important to remember for 10 months Hizbullah has been bombarding Israel, forcing nearly 100,000 people from their homes and putting the lives of Unifil soldiers in Lebanon at risk,” a spokesperson said.
“Israel has repeatedly called on the international community to pressure Hizbullah into ceasing its behaviour.” The vehicles were clearly marked with the usual UN markings, including on the roofs, sources said. The Irish Government has yet to publicly name Israel as being behind the strike.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence confirmed that the Tánaiste had written to Mr Lacroix concerning the incident in southern Lebanon.
“In his letter, the Tánaiste expressed his expressed his ‘extreme concern’ at the incident which illustrates ‘the growing danger of an escalation of the conflict in the region’,” the spokeswoman said.
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