Irish troops stationed in the Middle East have been forced to take shelter in bunkers as Iran steps up retaliation against Israel and the US for the assassination of their supreme leader.
There are approximately 380 Irish troops in various bases in the Middle East.
This includes 12 troops with United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) stationed in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel as peace monitors.
Another three officers are stationed in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights in Syria, just across the Israeli border.
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Irish troops from UNDOF and UNTSO missions were forced to take shelter in bunkers, a process known as ‘groundhog’, as Iran targeted Israel and neighbouring countries following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in mass air strikes on Tehran.
While military officials believe there is no specific risk to the safety of Irish troops from Iranian or Israeli-American attacks, protective measures have been taken in light of ongoing hostilities.
On Sunday, at least nine people were killed by Iranian missiles in Beit Shemesh, a city near Jerusalem where Irish UNTSO members are stationed.
The largest contingent of Irish troops in the region are the 362 peacekeepers in south Lebanon near the border with Israel which forms part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
Immediately before launching strikes on Iran, Israeli forces targeted several areas in Lebanon with air strikes. The Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting “Hizbullah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon”.
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These strikes occurred well north of the Irish area of operations and outside of the Unifil mission area. Irish Unifil troops were not required to take shelter and have been able to continue mission operations.
“Óglaigh na hÉireann can confirm that Defence Forces personnel in missions across the Middle East, UNDOF, UNIFIL and UNTSO, are well and accounted for,” the Defence Forces said.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation across the region and our personnel remain committed to completing their mandated tasks.”
Hizbullah is considered one of Iran’s proxy forces in the region, meaning it could seek to strike Israeli targets on Tehran’s behalf. Israel counterattacks would almost certainly follow, including on Hizbullah infrastructure in the Irish area.
This would raise the possibility of munitions falling on Irish positions. In October 2024, during the last Israel-Hezbollah war, a suspected Hizbullah rocket fell on the main Irish camp, Post 2-45.
Irish military officials are monitoring the situation and, according to sources, do not believe the Irish contingent is in any specific danger.
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Hizbullah’s position and standing in the south of the country has been greatly diminished since Israel’s invasion in 2024. “It has limited capability to launch attacks on Israel, and limited will,” said an Irish military source.
In a statement on Sunday, Hizbullah chief Naim Qassem said the group “will undertake our duty of confronting the aggression” and that it would not leave “the field of honour and resistance”.
However, so far, no attacks have been launched from Lebanon against Israel. Hizbullah also did not intervene during last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
