{"id":31607,"date":"2025-08-29T21:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T21:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/31607\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T21:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T21:34:11","slug":"end-of-irelands-47-year-unifil-mission-in-lebanon-deemed-a-major-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/31607\/","title":{"rendered":"End of Ireland’s 47-year Unifil mission in Lebanon deemed ‘a major setback’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy<\/a>, said Gaza or Ukraine could potentially be options but pointed out that any mission has to have the consent of the host nation or warring parties and the authorization of the UN, Nato or the EU.<\/p>\n

He said the Defence Forces was like the \u201cSwiss Army knife of the State\u201d in overseas deployments, from securing headquarters to \u201cground holding\u201d, like in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

He said the decision to dispose of Unifil \u2014 as set out in a draft resolution for a phased ending of Unifil by December 2027 \u2014 was \u201cnot welcome\u201d, but said it was an improvement on the August 2026 deadline initially sought by Israel and US.<\/p>\n

\"IrishIrish Defence Forces troops serving with the Unifil peacekeeping mission on parade at Camp Shamrock near the border between Lebanon and Israel earlier this year.<\/p>\n

T\u00e1naiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris, said there was a \u201csignificant chance\u201d in recent weeks the mission could have ended immediately without a renewal of the mandate, describing that scenario as \u201cextraordinarily dangerous\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He said a \u201cdiplomatic campaign\u201d, involving Ireland, France, Austria, Italy and Lebanon, together with \u201cconstructive engagement\u201d with the US, had achieved a \u201cmuch improved\u201d timeframe for withdrawal.<\/p>\n

Lt Gen Mulcahy said Ireland\u2019s involvement in Unifil since 1978 provided the Defence Forces with an \u201coperational test bed\u201d where officers and soldiers learn how to \u201cconduct operations in an operational environment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk, the chief of staff said this experience includes mine-clearance, engaging with local people, conducting patrols, and overcoming operational difficulties.<\/p>\n

Experience ‘cannot be replicated at home’<\/p>\n

Lieutenant Colonel Conor King, general secretary of Raco, the staff association representing officers, said Unifil, and overseas deployments generally, provide soldiers with operational experience that \u201ccannot be replicated at home\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said it was \u201ccrucial for recruitment and retention\u201d to maintain a significant overseas presence.<\/p>\n

Professor Ray Murphy of the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway, and former Unifil officer in the 1980s, said the decision was \u201ca major setback for Irish participation in UN peacekeeping operations\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said it \u201cwill not be easy\u201d to find a suitable replacement.<\/p>\n

‘End of an era’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rory Finegan, deputy director at the Centre for Military History & Strategic Studies in Maynooth University, who also served in Unifil as a platoon commander, said the development was \u201cquite literally, for Ireland, an end of an era\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) logo on T-shirts worn by some members of the Irish Defence Forces while serving in Lebanon. Picture: Derek Farrell\/Rolling News<\/p>\n

He said it will have \u201cmajor implications, not only for morale, but the operational experience\u201d of Irish troops, describing Unifil as a \u201cveritable crucible\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mervyn O\u2019Driscoll, a senior lecturer at the School of History at University College Cork, said the \u201cstatus quo logic\u201d in the Irish government and elsewhere has been that Unifil should remain in \u201cdamage-control mode\u201d since there has never been a consensus at the UNSC level to grant Unifil the power to fulfil its mandate.<\/p>\n

343 personnel in battalion<\/p>\n

Lt Gen Mulcahy said Unifil would now end its mission in December 2026 and then, within a further year, withdraw all its forces.<\/p>\n

He said more than 30,000 Irish troops had served in Unifil during its 47 years, including all three services \u2014 the army, air corps, and naval service \u2014 but predominantly the army.<\/p>\n

He said while Irish numbers had reduced over time, there were now 343 personnel in the Irish\/Polish Battalion. He told Newstalk:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n It was an operational test-bed to train young leaders and soldiers in how to conduct operations in an operational environment.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

He said Defence Forces ordnance and engineers gained huge expertise, including in mine clearance.<\/p>\n

He said the organisation had lost 47 personnel over there and one member in the separate observer group UNTSO in South Lebanon (which remains unaffected).<\/p>\n

Lt Gen Mulcahy said the ending of Unifi was a \u201cbig challenge\u201d and posed a \u201creset\u201d of Defence Forces contribution abroad, influenced by the new capabilities under the investment level being implemented by the Government.<\/p>\n

‘Unifil provided operational experience’<\/p>\n

Raco leader Lt Col Conor King said it was \u201chugely important\u201d for recruitment and retention to maintain a significant presence overseas.<\/p>\n

\"ConorConor King, the general secretary of Raco, the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pointing to a continuous presence in such missions since 1958, he said:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Unifil and overseas deployments in general provide soldiers with operational experience that cannot be replicated at home, as well as training in diplomacy, negotiation, and cross-cultural communication.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be crucial for recruitment and retention for the DF [Defence Forces] to maintain a significant presence overseas through the identification of other peace keeping or enforcement missions by government once the Unifil mission begins to draw down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He added though that one of the barriers to overseas participation was remuneration, which, he said, has not kept pace with inflation or cost of living increases, and \u201cno longer compensates\u201d for the additional burdens of family separation, and additional costs such as childcare.<\/p>\n

UN decision ‘a major setback’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prof Ray Murphy said the decision was \u201ca major setback\u201d for Irish participation in UN peacekeeping operations and added that \u201cit will not be easy to find a suitable alternative\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said it was \u201cfar from certain that a reconfigured peacekeeping force could continue\u201d to operate in south Lebanon without the legitimacy, limited protection and support that a UN resolution provided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cApart from the question of who would finance such a force, it would be even more challenging to agree a mandate and ensure co-operation from the various parties on the ground,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPrevious multinational forces deployed in Lebanon in the 1980s sustained significant casualties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Triple lock<\/p>\n

“Even with the removal of the so-called \u2018triple lock\u2019 requiring UN approval for Irish participation, continued participation in a non-UN approved mission in the future would present many challenges for Ireland.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rory Finegan said the imminent end of Unifil was in a sense the \u201cinevitable conclusion predicated on the machinations of Great Power Politics at the UN Security Council\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThroughout our involvement in the mission some 15 of our troops were killed directly in the line of fire, while others died in accidents. It was and remains a heavy price.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said Unifil’s ability to maintain the status quo in Lebanon was \u201calways fraught with difficulty\u201d given the activities of Hezbollah, Israel and Syria in the country.<\/p>\n

UNTSO will continue to serve<\/p>\n

He said it should be remembered that the observer mission UNTSO \u2014 which has several Irish Defence Forces personnel \u2014 will continue to serve, as its mandate does not require to be renewed annually.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Defence Forces it means that we now have no major mission to send a significant cohort of troops, having withdrawn from the UNDOF mission in the Golan Heights in April 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This has implications for not only morale, but the operational experience of our troops in which Unifil had been the veritable crucible.<\/p>\n

“The end of Unifil therefore is quite literally for Ireland the end of an era. This author served twice there as a young platoon commander.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Unifil cannot disarm Hezbollah’<\/p>\n

Mervyn O\u2019Driscoll of the School of History at University College Cork said UNSC 1701 was not working as intended, but added that this \u201cis not the fault of Unifil\u201d, which, he said, cannot implement its mandate to secure the withdrawal of armed forces from South Lebanon. He said:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Unifil cannot disarm Hezbollah, which has become part of Lebanon’s coalition government.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\u201cHezbollah is referred to as a \u2018state within a state’ with an autonomous army, distinct from the Lebanese army.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said it was \u201ca supreme paradox\u201d that, under Resolution 1701, Unifil relies on the Lebanese government to enforce its mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat very government tolerates Hezbollah to sustain the coalition,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the government not condoning Hezbollah\u2019s actions (rockets into Israel, etc) and calling for restraint, Beirut will not intervene in southern Lebanon, as that would destabilise the entire political artifice of Lebanon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr O\u2019Driscoll said that, in effect, that has left Unifil as a buffer in southern Lebanon, unable to demilitarise the region as per 1701 and instead seeks to minimise conflict and provide external oversight to limit clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.<\/p>\n

‘Catch-22’\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUnifil is caught in a frustrating catch-22 situation. Its stuck in the middle in an on-off again asymmetric conflict between Hezbollah and the IDF,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Unifil leaves, Tel Aviv will have a freer hand to demilitarise Southern Lebanon, which it argues should already have been achieved by Unifil under resolution 1701.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr O\u2019Driscoll said the \u201cstatus quo logic\u201d in the Irish government and elsewhere has been that Unifil should remain in \u201cdamage control mode\u201d since there has never been a consensus at the UNSC level to grant Unifil the power to fulfil its mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concern is what will happen when Unifil withdraws completely,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAdditional time has been bought, but it is a house of cards that is running out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon Harris warns against abrupt end<\/p>\n

Speaking on RT\u00c9 Radio One, Mr Harris said<\/a> there were mixed emotions about the UN Security Council resolution, saying there was a \u201csignificant chance\u201d in recent weeks the mission could have been ended immediately without a renewal of the mandate.<\/p>\n

\"T\u00e1naisteT\u00e1naiste and defence minister Simon Harris on a visit to Camp Shamrock near the Israel-Lebanon border with then chief of staff Lt General Sean Clancy (left) and battalion commander Lt col Shane Rockett (right) earlier this year. Picture: Niall Carson\/PA<\/p>\n

Mr Harris said that, while he would not speak for the US, they had outlined views against the mission, highlighting cost concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cI must say we did have constructive engagement with the US, and I think we saw the benefit of countries working together, of France, of Austria, of Ireland, of Italy, of Lebanon itself,\u201d Mr Harris said.<\/p>\n

Mr Harris said UN officials told US officials while they had a perspective, it would be \u201can extraordinarily dangerous situation to have an abrupt end, an abrupt cliff edge to a peacekeeping mission in a very volatile part of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

The T\u00e1naiste added there was a new Lebanese Government in place and they were \u201cextremely serious\u201d about trying to disarm Hezbollah and to give people in Lebanon a \u201cnew start\u201d.<\/p>\n

Other Defence Forces missions\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea that we, the international community, the peacekeepers of the world, would walk away at this moment would have been wholly, wholly irresponsible,\u201d Mr Harris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe diplomatic campaign has gotten us to a much improved situation. If they say a week is a long time in politics, trying to predict with certainty where we\u2019ll be by the middle or end of 2027, is a very, very challenging thing to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Harris said the mission has not been in place for too long, while condemning the \u201cpain and misery\u201d inflicted by Hezbollah on the people in Lebanon and Irish peacekeepers serving there. The T\u00e1naiste and defence minister added:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n I think what is important now though is that we don\u2019t turn our back on Lebanon.\n <\/p>\n

He said that, despite the winddown of the mission, there would still be opportunities for people to serve on peacekeeping missions abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome what may, Irish people will continue to serve in \u00d3glaigh na h\u00c9ireann in overseas missions and there will be other opportunities to serve with distinction in the name of peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen troops serve in other parts of the world in the past and we\u2019re going to see that again in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We remain very committed to peacekeeping in Ireland and in the Defence Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, said Gaza or Ukraine could potentially be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,9217,13,14,6,11,12,15,16,8820,5,24848,24847,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-31607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-defence-forces","11":"tag-featured-news","12":"tag-featurednews","13":"tag-headlines","14":"tag-latest-news","15":"tag-latestnews","16":"tag-main-news","17":"tag-mainnews","18":"tag-middle-east","19":"tag-news","20":"tag-organisation-un","21":"tag-organisation-unifil","22":"tag-top-stories","23":"tag-topstories","24":"tag-world","25":"tag-world-news","26":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}