Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the contents of the official acknowledgement by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in response to the concerns he raised relating to Israel shooting at Irish soldiers in Lebanon; if Israel has accepted responsibility or apologised for this attack; and if not, the steps he will take to ensure Israel does accept responsibility and apologise or faces sanctions for this action. [34694/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I condemn any endangerment of the safety of our peacekeepers in the execution of their mandated duties. The incident in Yaroun in May this year was unconscionable.

As I have said previously, upon my instruction, on 30 May, immediately after the incident in Yaroun, our Permanent Representation to the United Nations in New York expressed our grave concerns directly to the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations and, through them, to the Israeli Government.

I can confirm that our concerns have been officially acknowledged by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, through the appropriate diplomatic channels.

Furthermore, our Permanent Mission to the UN has requested that UNIFIL formally raise these concerns as a matter of urgency with the appropriate Israeli authorities. Should any further incident of this nature occur, we will continue to do so without hesitation.

The Government has been clear to the Israeli authorities the deep and well-founded concerns regarding this incident and the safety and protection of our peacekeepers. These concerns are fully understood within the United Nations system more broadly.

I am also very conscious of the impact the escalation in relation to Iran and Israel may have, including any impact on Irish peacekeeping troops in Southern Lebanon. Their safety is of paramount importance. I continue to receive regular updates from the Chief of Staff on measures being taken to keep them safe at this volatile time. I am also regularly kept apprised of all developments in those areas where Defence Forces personnel are deployed. There are robust force protection measures in place to support the security and safety of all personnel, and these measures are continually reviewed and enhanced as necessary to address any emerging threat.

At the meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers on 23 June in Brussels I again made clear the critical importance of the UNIFIL mission continuing.