An Cosantóir Dec 2019/Jan 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie
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BY CAPT GERRY DUFF, ASST S2/PIO, 114 INF BN
The Defence Forces have been an integral part of the history of
Lebanon since 1958, when Irish officers were deployed there with
UNOGIL (United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon). We were one
of the first troop-contributing nations to UNIFIL (United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon) when it was established in 1978, and we
have maintained a consistent presence in the mission ever since.
Sadly, 47 members of the Defence Forces have paid the ultimate
price in the service of peace during this time.
There is no love lost between the various belligerents in the
region. The last open conflict occurred in 2006 when the IDF (Israeli
Defence Force) conducted air and ground operations in Lebanon as
a result of a Hezbollah raid into Israeli territory that resulted in the
deaths of Israeli troops. This 'July War' caused massive devastation
in South Lebanon and cost 1,109 lives.
In the run-up to the latest hostilities, a number of incidents
occurred in Lebanon and the wider region that led to Septem-
ber's events.
On 24 August air strikes were carried out in Syria against pro-
Iranian forces, during which two Hezbollah operatives, Lebanese
nationals, were killed. Then in the early hours of 25 August, two
quadcopter drones, each carrying an estimated 5.5kg of explosives,
were observed in southern Beirut; the first was brought down by
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O
n Sunday 1
September, a
'groundhog' was
called for personnel of 114 Inf
Bn in response to an outbreak
of hostilities in the battalion's
AO (area of operations),
which had been expected
after escalating tensions over
the previous weeks.
