Taoiseach Enda Kenny will visit the Golan Heights on the Syrian-Israeli border as part of a short tour of the Middle East to meet Irish soldiers.

Mr Kenny will also visit peacekeepers in Lebanon. "On Sunday I hope to travel to the Middle East with the Minister of Defence and the Minister for State at the Department of Defence to visit the Irish peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon and the Golan Heights," Mr Kenny said.

He paid tribute to Army personnel working as peacekeepers in Middle East conflict zones and the rescuing of thousands of refugees by the Irish Naval Service in the Mediterranean.

“It is an entirely appropriate time to visit peacekeeping troops in view of the circumstances that are changing on a weekly basis and the difficulties and the challenges they face,” he said.