An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/107373
14 | today LAF/UNIFIL Training T he United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is a peacekeeping mission that has become synonymous with the Defence Forces, influencing its psyche, doctrine, and history. Irish troops have served with the mission since its establishment under UN Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 in 1978. Over the past 34 years UNIFIL has evolved to meet the security threats of the region. Contingents from many nations have served with the mission in South Lebanon, hundreds of civilian and military UNIFIL personnel have been wounded, and over 500 have been killed. Today UNIFIL, and Lebanon, are somewhat different from those early days in the 1970s and '80s. Lebanon's civil war is long over, the Syrian An Cosantóir Feb 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie By Wesley Bourke Photos courtesy of UNIFIL Press Office army no longer occupies areas of the country, and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) finally withdrew all of its forces in 2000. Paramilitaries such as the South Lebanon Army, the Tigers Militia, Amal's military wing, and the Marada Brigades have either been disbanded or transformed into political movements. There are still Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Hezbollah is still active both as a political and paramilitary movement, but despite recent hostilities in Gaza and the ongoing civil war in Syria for the most part Lebanon is calm. The Israeli invasion in 2006 resulted in an additional UN Security Council resolution (1701) which increased the size of UNIFIL to an establishment of 15,000. After the Israeli withdrawal Lebanon's authorities took more responsibility of the border region and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) moved 15,000 troops into the region. In addition to UNIFIL's duties under resolutions 425 and 426 (the confirmation of Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon; restoring international peace and security; and assisting the Lebanese government to restore its effective authority in the area) resolution 1701 has seen new additions to UNIFIL's responsibilities. These include accompanying and supporting the LAF deployment throughout the South in the wake of the IDF's withdrawal after the 2006 invasion; co-ordinating its activities with the governments of Lebanon and Israel; helping ensure