Irish troops should be in new Lebanon mission - McEntee

Updated / Sunday, 25 Oct 2026 14:06

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Irish troops should be deployed to Lebanon as part of a new EU mission and be involved in both peacekeeping and peace enforcement duties, according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Helen McEntee.

Troops are currently deployed as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) but the mission ends at the end of this year following a Security Council vote, and the Defence Forces are due to withdraw by Easter.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's This Week programme, she said: "I want us, and I know our troops in particular want, to be on the ground and working with their colleagues... Our troops want to continue that presence on the ground, and to continue to be able to support the Lebanese Armed Forces."

A new EU mission to replace UNIFIL was passed by EU Foreign Ministers last month, however, Minister McEntee said: "We will not be able to do that if the Triple Lock is not reformed."

Asked if Irish troops participating in a peacekeeping role or peace enforcement role, Minister McEntee replied: "It's likely to be both. And it's important to stress that it currently the case now.

"There's a misconception, or an attempt to suggest, that our troops are on the ground in one context, and one context only. Our troops are involved in peace enforcement at the moment."

Asked if she would use the guillotine to ensure the Triple Lock legislation passes the Oireachtas before Christmas, which would no longer require a UN mandate before Irish troops could be deployed, the Minister replied that she didn't intend to rush matters but added: "I do plan to and would like to have this done by the end of the year."

She contended that the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers were "very clear" last week of the "need to ensure that those joining the Defence Forces, those who are members of the Defence Forces, that they have opportunities to travel overseas... to put all of their training into good use".

The Minister said it was her "intention" to travel to the Irish peacekeeping headquarters in southern Lebanon today, UNP 2-45, and give medals to the soldiers "to recognise the significant contribution that they have made on the ground".

She is also due to meet her Lebanese counterpart in Beirut and some of the aid agencies who are seeking to assist the thousands of people from southern Lebanon who've been forced to leave their homes in the south of the country.