More than 70 Irish troops unable to return to Unifil mission in south of country due to ongoing hostilities
The Defences Forces’ 124th Infantry Battalion, Ireland’s contribution to the Unifil missions, is comprised of 370 troops in total. File photograph: Defence Forces Military Archives
Mr Martin said many Irish citizens in Lebanon are deeply rooted there through family, work and other links and that the Government has to date been able to assist “almost all Irish citizens who have expressed a wish to leave”.Eric Adams, the swaggering, ‘weird’ mayor of New York, is the first to face indictment in the office’s 360-year history“My department will remain in close contact with all citizens still in Lebanon over the days and weeks ahead,” he added.
This leaves the Irish Battalion about 25 per cent below strength. However, military sources say this is not impacting operational capacity or force protection measures as the Israeli invasion has significantly reduced the unit’s pace of operations. The battalion’s commander, Lieut Col Tom Fox had been due to return to Ireland on this leave rotation. However, he opted to remain in the mission due to the worsening security situation. It is the second time his leave has been cancelled.
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