Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

It is very difficult for family members when this has been going on for longer than any of us would like. I would like to be able to give the Deputy a fuller update on the floor this evening, but unfortunately there are a number of different processes under way at home as well as our engagement with the Lebanese forces and the Government there and with the UN, as the Deputy mentioned. Whenever an incident occurs, particularly one of this magnitude, it is essential that the UN engage with us so that we can work with it on making sure that there is a very clear and firm response and that where changes or adaptations need to be made to any mission to make sure that troops are kept safe, that is the case as well.
There are a number of different strands under way at the moment. I appreciate how difficult this is for Private Rooney's family and for the other families as we are going through these different stages. It is my intention, as it is the Deputy's and everybody else's here, to get the answers we need as soon as possible so that we hopefully find ourselves in a situation where this does not happen again to any of our troops.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17