Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I will refer to an earlier question around the orderly drawdowns. We have had in the last few weeks seen the last battalion travel to Lebanon where there was a crossover with the troops who had been there previously. That will be the final round of troops, essentially, that would carry out this mission.
What we will see later this year is a much smaller number who will travel over to help to wind down the mission and make sure the equipment and technology we have over there can be brought out, as well as to make sure we support what is an orderly draw-down in order that other troops and teams are protected. In the past few months in particular, we have seen a lot of how the Irish Defence Forces, our peacekeepers, have worked closely to protect and support their French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Indonesian and many other colleagues. It is really important that as this mission comes to a conclusion, it does so in a safe and orderly way. That is absolutely at the forefront of our Defence Forces members' minds in everything they do. What is also important - and I can touch on this in my final contribution - is what we do next.
When I spoke to Kaja Kallas today, the High Representative who chairs the foreign affairs and defence Council and with whom we will be working closely during our Presidency, I confirmed that during our Presidency and at its outset, we will be steering the conversation as to what happens next. It is really important from Ireland’s perspective that we find a way to be present and to be part of some form of the mission on the ground in Lebanon to carry on the work we have been doing for decades.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09