Taoiseach demands ‘proper justice’ for Pte Seán Rooney as he visits Irish troops in Lebanon

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was greeted by guard of honour upon his arrival at Camp Shamrock in southern Lebanon on Saturday, where he wished happy Christmas to the hundreds of Irish soldiers there, and paid respects to those who were not.

Earlier on Saturday, Martin met Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam. He raised the case of the killing of Pte Seán Rooney, saying he had expressed “annoyance and anger at the very slow pace of the criminal justice system”.

The 24-year-old was in an armoured vehicle which came under fire on December 14th, 2022; this month marks the third anniversary of his death. In July, six people were found guilty of involvement by a Lebanese military court, with one – Mohammad Ayyad – sentenced to death in absentia. A seventh person was acquitted.

Martin told journalists he wants to see “proper justice”, saying the sentencing was “extremely lenient and the people are at large”. This is “deeply, deeply unacceptable and unsatisfactory”.

He also commented on a more recent attack on Irish forces. On December 4th, a patrol conducted by the 127 Infantry Battalion came under small arms fire. The Taoiseach said the Lebanese government had acted speedily in this case, and “those responsible were arrested very quickly”, while community leaders were also “very angry”.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) observes and documents violations of UN resolution 1701, on which last year’s ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hizbullah is based. By December 14th this year, Unifil had documented more than 8,200 Israeli air violations and more than 2,600 “activities” by Israeli forces inside Lebanon. It found almost 390 weapons caches inside Lebanon, most of which were believed to belong to Hizbullah.

But Unifil’s UN Security Council mandate ends in December 2026, after which it will start a withdrawal, to be completed within one year. Martin said he doesn’t anticipate a further extension. “The world has changed. And the US has a particular position on it, and others.”

Unifil was established in 1978, the same year battalion commander Mark Lennon was born. Lennon said its operational footprint is increasing – and it carried out more than 700 operational patrols in November – despite the looming withdrawal. “We monitor and record, and are the eyes and the ears of the greater global world.”

Martin said the implications of the withdrawal are “quite serious”, though “the mission has been always as an interim force in nature”. While increasing the capacity of the Lebanese armed forces is good and should have been done earlier, he said, “my own personal opinion is that the timelines are too quick.”

Ireland could continue to have a role in Lebanon going forward, though not to the same extent or scale. “We do feel there’s a need for a continuing role in terms of peace monitoring, observation, continued supports, training missions, for example.”

Battalion commander Lennon said Irish forces trained Lebanese soldiers inside Camp Shamrock as recently as Friday.

As for the future of Irish forces, “we stand ready to contribute to peacekeeping wherever there [is] a requirement,” Martin said. This could include as part of a “peace settlement” in Ukraine, in Gaza and elsewhere.

He said he was aware that Israel continues to hold on to five positions inside Lebanon, and that Ireland will continue to advocate for adherence to the 2024 ceasefire agreement. “We would appeal to Israel, to everybody involved, to adhere to what was agreed.”

Camp Shamrock, or UN base UNP 2-45, is the main base for hundreds of Irish peacekeepers – situated less than 8km from the Israeli border. About 366 Irish peacekeepers are based there, the youngest of whom is 19 and the oldest in his 50s, the Taoiseach said. More than 130 are on their first overseas deployment.

In a packed canteen, Martin addressed them, saying: “Peace is fragile. It cannot, and should not, be taken for granted … Here in the Middle East, in Ukraine and in Sudan, to name just a few, too many societies are being torn apart; too many lives are being lost.”

[ Israel steps up strikes on southern Lebanon aimed at blocking Hizbullah revivalOpens in new window ]

Martin also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony in Peacekeeper’s Square, where chaplain Fr Declan Shannon remembered the 48 Irish soldiers who died on mission in Lebanon, saying: “Theirs was the ultimate sacrifice. But let us not forget the sacrifices that their families made; those mothers and fathers whose sons never came home, those wives who suddenly became widows.” He mentioned that among those serving in Lebanon are the son of Cpl Martin Tynan, who died in 1992, and the grandnephew of Pte William O’Brien, who was killed in 1986.

As to how Camp Shamrock will be remembered if there is a full Irish withdrawal, the Taoiseach said he would take advice from the military on that, but it is the “story and history [that] should be archived more than bricks and mortar”.