Military Activity in the Irish AOR in Southern Lebanon

Irish peacekeepers are still deployed in southern Lebanon, even as Israel steps up operations and signals an intention to seize control of territory aimed at establishing what it calls a buffer zone.

In recent days, Israeli actions have included strikes on bridges, ground operations and evacuation orders—developments taking place inside the UN-monitored area where Irish troops are stationed.

The Defence Forces said Irish UN peacekeepers remain in place as Israel implements plans to take the area through military force.

“Irish personnel are well and accounted for amid ongoing tensions along the Blue Line, where the situation is most intense,” the Defence Forces said in a statement.

Israel’s military has demanded that residents leave the region, warning that those who do not comply face risk. The IDF said its operations are aimed at Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia Muslim political and military organisation that has existed for decades and has frequently clashed with the IDF.

“The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon with full force against Hezbollah,” Mr Katz said.

He added that “Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not [be allowed to] return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north [of Israel] is ensured,” according to the Times of Israel.

Dr Cathal Berry, a former commander in the Irish Army Ranger Wing, said the plan appears to be replacing UNIFIL with the IDF.

“Even the proposed Israeli buffer zone has practically the same dimensions as the current UNIFIL area of operations. They are not even trying to hide it,” he said.

Mr Berry said Irish and UN peacekeepers “are more important than ever now, so they can continue to monitor the situation on the ground” and “send accurate information to the UN in New York and back to Dublin.”

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The Irish UNIFIL area of responsibility, known as the Irish AOR, covers the main urban centre in south Lebanon, Bint Jbeil.

Within that zone, a UN battalion led by Irish officers runs a major base, Camp Shamrock, near Bint Jbeil, and also operates two outposts—UNP 6-50 and UNP 6-52—near the border towns of Maroun El-Ras and Yaroun.

Each of these locations is considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

The Defence Forces said “all necessary force protection measures are being strictly observed by our personnel” in the Irish AOR and that there has been “limited disruption to framework operations.”

“Army personnel of the 127th Infantry Battalion continue to observe and monitor the situation, acting as the eyes and ears of the international community.”

Cutting off the area

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Since mid-March, geolocated footage and IDF reports have pointed to Israeli attacks on bridges crossing the Litani River, as well as strikes on sites inside the Irish AOR.

Mr Katz confirmed the IDF had blown up bridges over the Litani River, a move he said effectively isolates southern Lebanon from the rest of the country. He added that the “IDF will control any remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani.”

The IDF says the bridges are used by Hezbollah to move forces and materiel from north to south—transferring weapons, rockets and launchers—”with the aim of executing terror attacks against the State of Israel.”

Even before Mr Katz announced those steps on Tuesday, Lebanese officials and analysts had expressed concern about how the actions could unfold.

Bassel Doueik, Lebanon and Jordan researcher at ACLED, said the bridge attacks came as “many Lebanese flee their homes as a result of clashes and evacuation orders from the IDF, fearing the effective isolation of southern Lebanon and that this could precede a deeper ground incursion similar to 1982.”

Attacks in UNIFIL areas

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Towns and villages throughout the Irish AOR have faced repeated attacks and clashes between Hezbollah and the IDF have also been reported in the area.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah said through its Telegram channels that it continued to strike targets and troops in Israel and southern Lebanon, including the town of Debl, within the Irish area.

The IDF, meanwhile, said it continued operations against border villages and Hezbollah cells across southern Lebanon.

It said five Hezbollah anti-tank missile operatives were killed in an Israeli strike in Bint Jbeil, the largest town in the Irish AOR.

Beyond the Irish AOR, but still within the wider UNIFIL area, a projectile struck a building inside UN headquarters in Naqoura, around 20km west of Camp Shamrock. UNIFIL said it believes the strike was fired by a “non-state actor.”

“Bullets, fragments, and shrapnel have hit buildings and open areas inside our headquarters, putting peacekeepers at risk. As a result, peacekeepers have been restricted to shelters to avoid injury,” it said.

In August, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to end its peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon after nearly five decades, following pressure from the United States and Israel to wind down the force.

UNIFIL will remain in place under a final mandate until 31 December 2026.

Set up in 1978 and expanded after the 2006 war, the mission has long served as a buffer between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Blue Line.

Cathal Berry warned that when Irish and other UN peacekeepers depart, monitoring would stop.

“The worry is what will happen when the UN mission comes to an end in December, who will take up that role.”