SMOKE BILLOWED NOT far from the winding mountain roads on the route which leads away from the Irish Defence Forces Base in Lebanon, Camp Shamrock.
The deep orange sunset was overcast by hazy smoke – smoke that came from burning tyres used to block roads and motorways by protesters.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin had just paid a visit to Irish troops at the camp, just over a month since the soldiers had lost one of their own.
That was in December, when Private Seán Rooney was killed when a convoy of two Armoured Utility Vehicles (AUVs) were making a similar journey on those winding roads, travelling to the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
While on the visit this week, the Tánaiste said the first priority of Government “is to protect our people here who are on this peacekeeping mission”.
But he told reporters after his day with Irish soldiers that the “environment and the climate has changed” in the region in recent times.
“There’s a political vacuum at the moment in the absence of the establishment of a government, a permanent government,” he said, which has resulted in what he described as an “intensity”.
Tense atmosphere
Tense is a good description of the atmosphere during the two days the Tánaiste spent in Lebanon.
On the day of his arrival on Wednesday, protesters set fire to tyres and handfuls of bills in the local currency in front the Central Bank building, where demonstrators rallied against the Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh over the deepening financial crisis in Beirut.
Such was the collapse of the local currency that petrol stations closed, turning away motorists who wanted to buy fuel.
While the economic crisis and hike in poverty resulted in demonstrations, supporters of victims killed in the 2020 Beirut explosion also rallied on Thursday, to support the judge investigating the disaster, after he was charged by Lebanon’s top prosecutor in the highly politically case.
While protests were held in Beirut, local protests were also held in towns and villages in the region, such was the smoke that could be seen on the trip back from Camp Shamrock.
In what is classed as one of history’s biggest non-nuclear explosions, the blast destroyed much of the Lebanese capital’s port and surrounding areas, killing more than 215 people and injuring over 6,500. No official has been held accountable for the disaster.
The stories of the unending tragedy of Lebanon are well known: centuries of crises and wars and the recent history of Israeli attacks, protests, economic disaster and a monstrous explosion that devastated the people of this struggling metropolis.
Heightened security
Any trip to Lebanon involves security, but it was heightened this week in comparison to Martin’s last trip to the country in summer 2022, and is no surprise given the incident involving Private Rooney before Christmas.
This week, The Journal watched as mirrors were used by security personnel to inspect the undercarriage of vehicles arriving to the hotel where the Irish contingent was staying. Word was given that it was best to stay within the compound or only walk a short distance, if necessary.
The Tánaiste told Defence Forces members during his visit that Private Rooney’s death was a “shocking reminder to all of Ireland of the risks taken by each and every one of you, in discharging your duty and maintaining our country’s proud record and reputation”.
The risks are clear when travelling to the Irish base. Yellow flags of Hezbollah-controlled areas are on flag poles, with giant posters of young men in combat dress – the local men seen as “martyrs” who died in the struggles in this area – dotted along the roads.
While blockades, barbed wire and armed soldiers guard the entrance to Camp Shamrock, inside the compound the threatening atmosphere subsides.
Soldiers are seen doing laps of the camp and working out in the gym. There’s a barber, a beauty parlour, and the canteen provides the best of homegrown cooking – even Irish spuds to boot.
Irish potatoes that come in other forms – such as Tayto crisps – are also well regarded, with one soldier seen gleefully opening a bag brought back to the camp by a returning officer. “These are hard to come by here – like gold dust,” he said.
County flags fly with pride, as do road signs from home, such as one pointing the way to Mullingar. There’s a large cook room where meals are eaten on rotation, with three sittings to ensure everyone gets fed. The canteen or rec room is where the soldiers relax and watch TV.
While on the face of it the unit is getting on with things having just lost one of their soldiers, the truth is, as the Tánaiste put it, the political context in Lebanon has changed in recent times.
The degree to which there is a denial of access to some areas has increased, “and that is problematic for a mission such as the one that’s operational here”, he said.
In his discussions with the UN authorities while on his trip this week, Martin said the first priority is to protect Irish troops who were on this peacekeeping mission.
“I think, UNIFIL are very, very conscious of that, you know, the United Nations are very, very conscious of that,” he said, with the point also being made to the Lebanese authorities.
“We’re here to keep the peace. And it’s not in the interest of Lebanon or the Lebanese population that UNIFIL would cease operations here. I mean, that could lead to a far worse escalation of war, which would be very, very detrimental, and would have shocking repercussions for the people of Lebanon. We don’t want that.
“The Lebanese authorities are acutely aware of this. There’s obviously a very difficult political and governance context now to the Lebanon of today. There’s a political vacuum at the moment in the absence of the establishment of a government – a permanent government – and all of this makes the work of UNIFIL all the more difficult,” Martin said.
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