John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the total number of members of the Irish Defence Forces currently deployed to the UNIFIL mission; and the number of further deployments of Irish troops that are expected to fulfil the mission prior to the projected conclusion of the mandate in December 2026. [48426/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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19. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to report the work of his Department in responding to the decision to withdraw the international peacekeeping force in Lebanon in 2027. [49119/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans for continuing engagement with the UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, for a further extension to the Security Council’s current renewal of the UNIFIL mandate for 12 months, to 31 August 2026, given the ongoing volatile situation in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49280/25]

Tony McCormack (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his response to the recent decision by the UN Security Council in relation to the UNIFIL Mandate. [48983/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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51. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the interaction he and his Department have had in relation to the changes in the UNIFIL mission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48884/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 19, 29, 35 and 51 together.

Currently the Defence Forces has 343 personnel are deployed with the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon. This includes an Infantry Battalion, under Irish Command, deployed in partnership with Poland, Hungary and Malta along the Blue Line as part of IRISHPOLBATT, as well as a number of staff officers and NCOs who serve in other headquarters locations of the mission.

As deputies will know, on 28th August last, the UN Security Council renewed the UNIFIL mandate up to 31st December 2026, to be followed by a period of drawdown and withdrawal, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027.

In line with Defence Forces 6-month rotation cycle, the 126th Infantry Battalion will complete its deployment this coming November, after which it will be replaced by the 127th Infantry Battalion. Further deployments of Defence Forces personnel will be shaped and driven by the UN Mission Operations Order, which is currently being reviewed by the Defence Forces to reflect the ceasing of military operations by 31st December 2026 and the projected drawdown and withdrawal thereafter in 2027.

The period of transition for any mission is a challenging one, and both myself and Defence Forces leadership, as well as the wider Government, recognise that careful planning will be needed over the coming period. My Department and the Defence Forces are already actively engaging with UNIFIL HQ and with the UN Department of Peace Operations, under the leadership of Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on the implications of the renewal and we will assess any planning and operational implications arising from this. As always, the safety and security of UNIFIL peacekeepers will remain of paramount importance, and I’d again like to take the opportunity to remind the House that ongoing operational evaluation and contingency planning is a normal part of any Defence Forces participation in overseas peace operations.

Ireland and the Defence Forces have a longstanding and proud history of engagement with UNIFIL over many years, as well as a commitment to the people of Lebanon. I witnessed this first hand when I visited the women and men of the Defence Forces serving with UNIFIL earlier this year. While UNIFIL was always intended as an interim force, the end objective has always been to remove the need for the Mission by enhancing Lebanon and Israel’s security and the security of the wider region and its role in helping stabilise southern Lebanon remains critical during this sensitive transition. The recently agreed UN Security Council resolution includes a provision that by June 2026 the UN Secretary General will bring forward options for the period after withdrawal, including continued support to the LAF redeployment in South Lebanon. How this review will be managed by the Secretary General is unclear at the moment, but it is my intention that my Department, the Defence Forces and the Department of Foreign Affairs will seek to actively contribute to these discussions and considerations with the UN, through our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Based on our long engagement in the region, I believe that, at this moment of fragile opportunity, the support of UNIFIL over the next 15 months will be essential to ensuing the success of the efforts of the Lebanese authorities, given the complexity and scale of the challenge facing them.

Let me conclude by reiterating Ireland's commitment to Lebanon. With the mandate renewal, we now have clarity on next steps as regards the Mission. It is essential that the international community maintain its support and commitment to the Government and people of Lebanon and to seize the opportunity to make progress on further stability in southern Lebanon over the next 15 months. Post UNIFIL, that commitment should continue and I have underlined this point in my discussions with EU partners, including most recently at the recent informal FAC-Defence meeting in Copenhagen.