THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 380 Irish men and women currently serving as peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – at the heart of Israel’s ground offensive against Hezbollah.
They comprise the majority of the Irish-Polish Battalion – IrishPolBatt – a mechanised infantry battalion, supported by one Polish mechanised infantry company.
Our troops are primarily deployed over two main positions in UNIFIL’s Sector West, adjacent to the border with Israel. Battalion Headquarters, Camp Shamrock, is located at UN Position UNP 2-45 close to Bint Jbeil.
Other Irish troops are located at a forward position, UNP 6-52 near Maroun Al Ras – the scene of recent heavy fighting between Israeli Defence Force (IDF) special forces and Hezbollah.
Our Polish counterparts are based at UNP 6-50 south west of Yaroun, again, close to the Israeli border.
Ireland’s peacekeeping troops are currently deployed along the likely axis of advance of Israeli ground troops as they intensify their ground and air operations in the coming days – as we approach the 7 October anniversary of the Hamas’ attack on Israel.
As I write, Israel has ordered the civilian population to abandon and flee from dozens of towns and villages in UNIFIL’s area of operations.
As has been the case in previous Israeli operations in Lebanon – and in recent operations in Gaza – such orders are normally followed by an intensification of air operations followed by ground attacks.
Already today an innocent US citizen, Kamal Ahmad Jawad, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Nabatieh – one of the towns listed for forced ‘evacuation’ by the IDF.
Since Netanyahu’s pager attacks of 17 September, and Israel’s subsequent rolling drone and missile strikes on Lebanon, over 1,700 Lebanese men, women, and children have been killed – with over 6,000 seriously injured and maimed – in IDF operations against Hezbollah.
Israel’s use of force in Lebanon is broadly similar to that deployed against Hamas, and the death toll and casualty rate among civilians is beginning to mirror the slaughter of innocent Palestinians in Gaza.
This is the context within which Irish troops are now operating in Lebanon.
They are no longer ‘keeping the peace’ as such, they are now acting as observers and first-line responders in a de-facto warzone. To be clear, our troops are not in a ‘safe’ or predictable environment, they are on the front line of Israel’s invasion of Lebanese sovereign territory and are in many respects acting as human shields – trying to protect the civilian population – against Hezbollah on the one hand and the IDF on the other.
In estimating or trying to predict what will happen next, it is perhaps instructive to look at the IDF’s previous tactics and strategy in this broadening conflict.
Firstly, all participants in this conflict have and continue to commit war crimes. Netanyahu’s forces – shamefully – completely abandoned the laws of armed conflict in their genocidal operations in Gaza. In less than a year the IDF have slaughtered over 17,000 Palestinian women and children, maiming and wounding tens of thousands more.
On 7 October 2023 – and consistently since that date – both Hamas and Hezbollah continue to commit war crimes by targeting innocent Israeli civilians in missile strikes, rocket attacks and as hostages, all contrary to the Geneva Conventions.
In the last 24 hours, the IDF has lost at least 8 special forces ‘operators’ in Lebanon – ambushed by Hezbollah fighters not far from Irish positions. Concurrently, the IDF have been concentrating more ground units near the Lebanese border – tens of thousands of mechanised forces including the Golani Brigade, the 98th Division, the 36th Division and the 188th Armoured Brigade.
It is likely that they will move north into Lebanon into the areas that they have ordered ‘evacuation’ or forced displacement – contrary to the Geneva Conventions. Their axis of advance will potentially take them through UNIFIL’s area of operations, routing them through IrishPolBatt’s positions.
The IDF’s likely advance will consist of ‘advance to contact’ operations. Armoured infantry moving forward with artillery and air support to engage well prepared Hezbollah defensive positions. The IDF are notorious for the concept of ‘reconnaissance by fire’ – in other words advancing with absolute and indiscriminate use of force, targeting everything and everyone they encounter along their lines of advance.
As in Gaza – and previously in Lebanon – the IDF do not distinguish between military and civilian objects.
The IDF have shown time and time again in Gaza that they do not distinguish between innocent Palestinians and members of Hamas. Neither will they distinguish between innocent Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah. For their part also, Hezbollah will be oblivious to civilian casualties and will operate in and among ordinary Lebanese civilians – again, contrary to the laws of armed conflict.
In the coming combat exchanges, neither side, IDF or Hezbollah will hesitate to target UN positions and UNIFIL peacekeepers. This is borne out by Ireland’s experiences in Lebanon over five decades, where approximately 50% of our casualties have been inflicted by Islamic resistance groups such as Hezbollah – the other 50% by the IDF and its proxy militias.
In addition, in previous incursions to Lebanon, the IDF have targeted UN positions and have murdered peacekeepers and UN observers.
As recently as December 2022, Hezbollah murdered Irish peacekeeper, Sean Rooney. In my experience as an Irish peacekeeper, based in Al Yatun, south Lebanon, in April 1996, the IDF targeted our neighbouring UN position at Qana – murdering UN peacekeepers and slaughtering 106 innocent Lebanese men women and children who were sheltering there.
I therefore believe that our troops face a clear and present danger in Lebanon – a danger that is likely to increase exponentially in the coming days and weeks.
Whilst force protection and the safety of all of our young men and women are the absolute priority of the general staff both in Ireland and at UNIFIL Headquarters in Lebanon, I would categorise their deteriorating operational environment as one of very high risk. Unlike the well-meaning statements of the Tánaiste, our troops are not ‘safe’ – they are now in an extremely hostile environment.
Defence Forces spokespersons have confirmed in recent days that our troops are now operating on a locked-down basis, and are not currently patrolling. They have also confirmed that due to the operational environment, re-supply is interrupted with our forces now operating on rationed supplies.
I know from my own experience under fire in such circumstances that water will be prioritised and carefully rationed. The protection of life will also be prioritised now with all non-essential Irish personnel deployed to ‘bunkers’ or underground shelters – protected by reinforced steel and concrete structures, serried concrete blast walls and large metal gabions filled with rock armour.
Despite this protection, in the event of a direct hit from an IDF air strike or artillery round, casualties are a possibility. This is a time of dreadful anxiety and fear for the families of our troops and for the 400 or so Irish troops now forming up and training for rotation to Lebanon next month.
This is perfectly understandable and the Defence Forces is doing all that it can to communicate to the wider military community to reassure families and to offer support and liaison at this time.
As for our troops on the ground, their primary concern will be for those innocent Lebanese civilians who are now trapped in our area of operations.
As in my own direct experience, many hundreds of men, women and children will be unable to ‘evacuate’ or flee at the direction of the Israelis. Hundreds of the elderly, infirm, disabled and mothers nursing infants will be unable to evacuate. The most vulnerable citizens will be left behind.
In 1996, we opened up our Irish UN position 6-40 at Al Yatun to take in the local civilian population – to shelter them and give them our rations, water and medical assistance. Despite this the IDF massacred our UN colleagues and civilian refugees at our neighbouring position in Qana.
There is therefore a genuine fear that if our troops take in refugees in the coming days, that the IDF will directly target our positions with catastrophic results.
For our troops – as I write this, and as millions of Irish citizens go about their daily business, preoccupied with their daily routines and concerns – the coming days and weeks will be fraught with risk and inevitably traumatic. They will experience the trauma – as some of us have before – of direct and indirect fire on our Irish positions.
They will also experience the horrific vicarious trauma of witnessing the likely slaughter of the innocent Lebanese civilians that Irish peacekeepers are tasked with protecting under the POC (Protection of Civilians) aspects of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) – UNIFIL’s mandate.
My thoughts are with the Lebanese people as Netanyahu continues to escalate his barbaric assault on Lebanon.
My thoughts are also with the 380 or so young Irish men and women of Oglaigh na h’Éireann – whose sole priority will be to protect the innocent Lebanese civilians they have come to know over the period of their deployment to Lebanon.
This is a special, unique relationship of trust and care between Irish troops and the Lebanese people built up over 50 years of peacekeeping there.
Their families – and all Irish citizens – should be proud of them and hopefully will be reassured that their physical safety and psychological well-being is the absolute priority of the general staff and the Irish government.
Dr Tom Clonan is a retired Army Officer and former Lecturer at TU Dublin. He is an Independent Senator on the Trinity College Dublin Panel, Seanad Éireann.
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