LIVE: Irish soldiers 'well and accounted for' after coming under fire in south Lebanon

The Minister for Defence has condemned a gun attack on Irish soldiers in South Lebanon.

A spokesperson for the Defence Forces has confirmed member of the 127th Infantry Battalion came under small arms fire while out on patrol on Thursday evening and "initiated immediate action drills".

The incident happened at around 6pm near Bint Jbeil.

The battalion is part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the south of the country. The Defence Forces said the battalion's actions and the armoured vehicles they were in "ensured the safety of all troops".

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It added that the battalion returned to Camp Shamrock following the patrol. "All our personnel are well and accounted for," they said.

The Defence Forces can confirm that all Irish personnel deployed to Lebanon as part of the 126 Infantry Battalion are safe and accounted for. All necessary force protection measures continue to be observed.

We echo UNIFIL’s statement that attacks on peacekeepers or interference… pic.twitter.com/MBxc9dYQMy

— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) October 3, 2025

The Defence Forces condemned the incident and added it will continue to "enact the UNIFIL mandate by monitoring and reporting on the situation in southern Lebanon".

Minister for Defence Helen McEntee, who has been fully briefed, has also condemned the incident.  "This incident constitutes a direct and unacceptable breach of the UN Security Council Resolution.”

In a statement, she added: "I have been fully briefed by the Chief of Staff, and I want to commend the personnel involved for their professionalism in extremely challenging circumstances. I am particularly relieved that all members of the patrol returned safely to base."