An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 17 stone throwing, while the second exploded in the air, causing considerable damage to a Hezbollah media centre. Although no one has admitted responsibility for the drones, Hezbollah blamed the IDF for both. Later that evening, in a scheduled televised address, the general secretary of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, stated that reprisals for these two incidents would take place against Israel. There was widespread condemnation of the drone incidents by all members of the Lebanese government. President Aoun considered the incident as an act of war against Lebanon, and Prime Minister Hariri appealed to the permanent representa- tives to the United Nations to intervene. The UNIFIL force commander and head of mission, Maj Gen Stefano Del Col, offered UNIFIL assets and locations to both sides in an attempt to de-escalate tensions. Notable changes occurred in the AO from 26 August: the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) appeared on duty wearing body armour and helmets; there was increased drone activity over UNIFIL's area of responsibility (AOR); and the IDF with- drew approximately 5-10kms south of the Blue Line. These indicators led to heightened awareness within Irishbatt in the conduct of our operations. On Sunday 1 September, while Irishbatt personnel awaited the start of the All-Ireland Football Final between Dublin and Kerry, the 'groundhog' alarm sounded in our HQ at UNP 2-45. Rockets had been fired across the Blue Line at an IDF vehicle patrol from locations in the Irishbatt AO. The IDF responded immediately with rounds fired from Merkava tanks beside UNP 6-50. This was closely followed by indirect fire from an M109 155mm battery, which included high explosive, smoke, and air- burst anti-personnel rounds. Extensive damage was caused to farmland in the area of UNP 6-52, with crops catching fire. After a number of hours, the 'stand down' was given and personnel exited the bunkers. Irishbatt resumed operational activities almost immediately, conducting patrols after our en- gineer's specialist search team had conducted route clearance in the area affected by the shelling. The incidents in the lead up to and including 1 September were a timely reminder to everyone in the mission area that even though the region has seen relative peace for the past 13 years, hostilities can erupt at a moment's notice. It was also a reminder to Irishbatt troops that a high level of vigilance must be maintained at all times in this mission area.

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