Helen McEntee visits Lebanon to meet Beirut government and Irish troops in war-ravaged south

Niall O'Connor

THE MINISTER FOR Defence and Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee is in Lebanon this weekend to meet with Lebanese government officials and visit troops in the devastated south of the country. 

As the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission is to end in the new year, it will likely be one of the last ministerial trips to the country. 

Israeli forces have occupied areas near the Irish camp located close to the bombed out town of At Tiri in south Lebanon and at UNP 6-52 which is an outpost on the Blue Line which marks the contested Lebanon/Israel border.

There are widespread aerial bombing and artillery strikes across the area regularly through the week with active Hezbollah cells in the area also.  

Large towns such as Sidon, Tyre and the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil, just a short distance from the Irish camp, have been hit by heavy bombing. Smaller villages and towns across the south have also suffered. 

Thousands have been displaced; large numbers of people have been killed, not just in the south but in Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley.

The security situation with Israel and Hezbollah is so fraught that the Irish Defence Forces said they could not facilitate media travelling with the minister south of Beirut to the Irish camp. 

McEntee was accompanied by advisers and the Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy.

The minister met Defence Forces personnel in south Lebanon who are serving with the 128th Infantry Battalion. 

McEntee said before travelling that she wanted to mark the Irish military’s “extraordinary contribution to peace and stability in Lebanon over almost five decades”.

During the visit, the minister is expected to meet President Joseph Aoun, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Rajji, and Minister of Justice Adel Nassar.

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The Department of Defence said that discussions will focus on Ireland’s long-standing relationship with Lebanon, regional developments, support for peace and stability, and the continued importance of international engagement in assisting Lebanon during a period of significant challenge.

Seán Rooney

The minister also wishes to discuss the murder of Private Seán Rooney with Lebanese officials. A Beirut court convicted, in absentia, a Hezbollah member for the killing of the Irish soldier.

The shooting, near the town of Al-Aqbiya in the south of Lebanon, a stronghold of militant group Hezbollah, resulted in the death of Private Rooney while Trooper Shane Kearney was badly wounded.

In July 2025, a Lebanese Military Tribunal convicted one main defendant, Mohammad Ayyad, for the murder of Private Rooney and sentenced him to death.

The Department of Defence said that McEntee would reiterate “Ireland’s commitment to ensuring accountability and justice”.

It said she would “reaffirm the importance” Ireland attaches to the ongoing judicial process and continued cooperation between the Irish and Lebanese authorities.

As part of her programme, McEntee will also meet senior UNIFIL leadership to discuss the current security situation, the mission’s activities, and preparations for the conclusion of Ireland’s military contribution to UNIFIL.

The minister will also engage with a number of humanitarian organisations working in Lebanon to discuss the severe challenges facing communities affected by conflict and displacement.

McEntee will also meet the European Union Ambassador to Lebanon to discuss regional security developments, and the role of the newly established European Union Support Mission (EUSM) in assisting Lebanese institutions and supporting long-term stability.

“While Ireland’s military contribution to UNIFIL is entering its final phase, our commitment to Lebanon and its people will remain strong. Ireland will continue to work closely with our partners in the United Nations, the European Union and the wider international community to support peace, stability and security in Lebanon,” the minister said. 

Ireland has maintained a continuous peacekeeping presence in Lebanon since 1978 and remains one of UNIFIL’s longest-serving troop-contributing countries.

The mandate was not renewed after the US, following lobbying by Israel, threatened its veto power on the United Nations Security Council vote.