Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are always conversations ongoing between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence on peacekeeping missions and the conditions under which we operate. I visited our troops with UNIFIL and UNDOF before Christmas and it was a fascinating experience. In the build-up to it, I am glad that we had seen a sustained and lengthy peaceful period in southern Lebanon, given its history. It is unfortunate that in recent months we have seen breaches of that calm. I cannot speak for the Israeli defence forces which will conduct their own internal investigation, but the Deputy should not forget that two Israeli soldiers were killed and five were injured in the rocket fire. That is not to justify anything; I am just giving the Deputy the facts. I expect the IDF to be very clear on the locations of UN sites which are visible from a distance, apart from anything else, as most of them are on hillsides. I do not know the exact circumstances surrounding how a Spanish soldier lost his life, but we will get the full details when the report is concluded. Obviously, we will be interested in it, as we have 199 soldiers with UNIFIL, our largest overseas contingent.

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