30 Cork soldiers praised for their efforts in Lebanon

Thirty soldiers from Cork, who were deployed to Lebanon last week, have been thanked for their part in “a mission of peace, humanity, and hope”.

Almost 400 Defence Forces personnel from across Ireland were deployed on Friday to take part in what is likely to be the penultimate tour of duty in Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).

Unifil is an ongoing peacekeeping mission which was established in 1978, aimed at monitoring the withdrawal of Israeli Forces from Southern Lebanon.

The mission includes the monitoring and report of any violations of the Blue Line, which is a UN-drawn border between Lebanon and Israel and assisting the Lebanese government in maintaining stability.

The current mandate will see the mission end in 2026.

Fine Gael Cork North Central TD, Colm Burke, said he is grateful for the work of the 370 Irish personnel that were deployed last week as part of Ireland’s longest peacekeeping mission.

“I want to wish all soldiers from Cork and across Ireland the very best [in] Lebanon,” said Mr Burke. 

“The Unifil mission, in which Ireland has contributed to since 1958, is due to conclude at the end of next year, despite Ireland advocating strongly for continued mandate renewal.

“This deployment will help bring this long and distinguished chapter of Irish peacekeeping towards a close.

“Our values of compassion, justice, and helping those who face difficult times because of conflict will remain at the heart of legislation to reform overseas deployments and reinforce Ireland’s ability to pursue an independent foreign policy.

“Defence Forces personnel from 30 counties will be deployed, and we are grateful for their dedication and commitment to representing our values abroad.

“For the 30 soldiers in Cork, you are part of a mission of peace, humanity, and hope, and we are thankful for the work you do.”