With the crisis continuing to unfold in the Middle-East, Polly Rodgers looks at the role of Irish Peacekeepers during this conflict.

By Polly Rogers | Apr 23 2026

Many have been injured and killed in Southern Lebanon, as bomb strikes and blasts cause significant destruction in the country’s southern region as well as targeted areas in the capital Beirut. The ongoing conflict between the political militant group, Hezbollah, and the Israel has resumed in magnitude after US-Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital of Tehran on February 28th killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Hezbollah, a non-state Lebanese shiite militia and long-term ally of Iran, launched strikes on Israel in retaliation on March 2nd. 

Ireland has members of its military currently positioned within Lebanon, as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon or UNIFIL. Ireland has historically had a long-standing presence in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon. The UN disclosed figures as of February 2026, declaring the presence of 7,622 uniformed personnel – 295 of these deployed troops within Lebanon being Irish soldiers. Serving as a part of this large task force, their duty is providing humanitarian aid to civilians in this time of unrest and crisis. They work to instill peace in this crisis, and manage the displacement of civilians. 

The area in which Irish troops are placed is one of high tension, Camp Shamrock being located in the south close to the Israeli border, centrally placed in the area deemed the “buffer zone.” Dr Cathal Berry, a former Irish Army Ranger commander, told RTÉ that it appeared that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF)’s "plan is to replace UNIFIL with the IDF." Much damage has been inflicted on these urban locations, homes and lives evacuated to the north. Bridges across the Litani River being a current and prominent target. Many strikes land close to these Peacekeeping bases. 

In Lebanon, hundreds have died since the beginning of March; this includes healthcare workers, journalists, civilians and children. There are calls for both parties to cease their attacks and for Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state, a joint statement was released from a compilation of global affairs ministers including Ireland's, saying how de-escalation is urgently needed, reinforcing that diplomacy must prevail. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that Israel intends to establish a “security zone” inside Lebanon. 

Students, when asked for comment, had differing opinions on our place as a nation within this task force. One undergraduate student remarked, “While it’s good we contribute as peacekeepers to the UN, at the the same time they are so constrained that they (the UN) are essentially putting their (the troops) lives at risk without being able to functionally defend themselves - which has shown consistently over time such as the Irish soldier dying in the 80s and the Ghanaian Peacekeepers injured in Lebanon this year.” Another undergraduate student within UCD commented, “Seeing how Irish troops were initially stationed in Lebanon following Israel's 1978 invasion - the attacks have continued since then, the need for UN troops remains the same, if not stronger, considering recent developments. The important question to ask is what they are achieving and how effectively they are keeping peace.”