Members of the elite Army Ranger Wing are being sent to war-torn southern Lebanon - to help protect Irish soldiers serving there, it has emerged.
The Irish Mirror has confirmed that soldiers from the special forces unit are among extra personnel being deployed to the next battalion of Irish soldiers that will spend six months on United Nations’ UNIFIL peacekeeping duty on the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.
“The ARW will bring vital skills to the mission,” a source said last night.
READ MORE: Tánaiste seeks Cabinet approval to send additional Defence Forces members to Lebanon
The government has decided to send 33 more personnel with the 124th Infantry Battalion – which deploys next month to replace the 123rd that has been in Lebanon since November.
The 33 extra soldiers are forming what’s called a Force Protection Platoon – and will be tasked with providing increased security for the entire battalion.
The decision was made because of the increased threat to Irish soldiers serving on the UNIFIL peace mission – due to the heavy clashes in the Blue Helmets' area of operations between militia group Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces.
Our soldiers have been deployed to keep the peace on the Blue Line – the de facto frontier between the two countries, but an area that has now been convulsed by daily clashes.
Hezbollah is mounting gun, rocket and missile attacks from southern Lebanon on northern Israel as a show of solidarity with the people of besieged Gaza – and the Jewish State has been retaliating with air strikes and artillery attacks.
The Irish area of operations is right at the heart of the conflict, and military bosses have now decided that our troops need more protection – and have created the new platoon to help ensure the soldiers’ safety.
And we have learned that specially-trained ARW operators are being deployed as part of that platoon.
A source told us the ARW personnel – the best trained soldiers in the Army – will bring vital skills to the platoon. “They have expertise that will be of great value to the new platoon” a source told us.
The ARW operators are experts in what’s called tactical combat casualty care – or emergency medical aid to any injured soldiers.
They are also experts on communications, convoy and security skills – as well having the most finely honed combat skills in the Defence Forces, if they need to take on aggressors to protect colleagues.
News of the deployment came as the Irish Mirror was yesterday given exclusive access to a special exercise conducted by soldiers from the 124 Inf Bn before it deployed to Lebanon.
We went to the Glen of Imaal, the Defence Forces’ training area in rural Co Wicklow, to see the battalion being put through its paces on a mission readiness exercise.
That exercise is the last rehearsal before the troops deploy to Lebanon – and is crucial in ensuring that the soldiers have all the skills and tactics they need to stay alive in the war zone.
The exercise sees the soldiers practising realistic scenarios they may face for real in Lebanon – from casualty evacuation to using the 12.7mm heavy machine guns on their €1 million Mowag armoured cars to rain down fire on anyone who attacks them.
And Lieutenant-Colonel Tom Fox, the officer commanding the 124th, yesterday told us his men and women were ready for whatever situation may develop on the mission.
He said: “We have conducted some real scenario based training to prepare us for the challenges that lie ahead.
“Our operations have been tailored to the recent kinetic activity in the wider middle east – we prepare for the worst, so we train for the worst.”
And he said, despite the risks, the men and women under his command were raring to go.
“What I have observed this week and even in the form up has been nothing but enthusiasm, an eagerness to get into the mission area, to deploy and to fulfil the mandate that we have been charged with,” he said.
The Kerry native also said he was confident his soldiers could deal with any issue on their mission.
He said: “I am extremely confident in our capability. We have a diverse skillset and we are very confident in the capability.
“We have been given an additional force protection platoon, which I welcome because it gives me a greater capability and a greater pool of resources which to draw upon in the mission area.”
Some 92 of the 375 soldiers in the battalion are first timers – including Private Adam Higgins (19) from Co Wicklow. He told us he was looking forward to the challenge.
He said: “I am a bit nervous, with it happening so close after training, but I am going over with comrades and people I have trained with, so it makes me feel more at home.”
And he said his family were proud of him – but also worried.
He said: “They are seeing everything on the news and don’t know what we are going into, but they are also proud at such a young age that I am stepping up and taking this opportunity to go overseas.”
Corporal Alanna Rochfort, from Dublin, is in command of a section of troops on the mission and served as a private in UNIFIL in 2021. “I am looking after them, making sure they are where they need to be,” she said.
“I am looking forward to going over and experiencing it again. I am looking forward to seeing the place again, being in charge of patrols, navigating routes – it is a bit of a challenge for me.”
Company Sergeant Martin Devaney, from Mullingar, Co Westmeath has served on eight previous tours in the Lebanon – and says he enjoys the mission, which has seen Irish soldiers serving in Lebanon since 1978.
He said: “I do enjoy it. You always gain experience. Each mission is completely different.”
Twin privates Thomas and Dan Murphy (22) from Kilmessan in Co Meath are also on their first mission - and will be serving together.
Thomas said their father, himself a former member of the Defence Forces, was not too worried about them – but their mother was.
He said: “Our dad doesn’t really mind, he was over there in Lebanon himself. “My mam is worried, but is always how it is.”
Captain Colm Layton, who is in charge of the Mowag component of the battalion, said the armour was vital for the unit's security.
The Wicklow native said: "It is probably one of the most important parts of the mission in terms of force protection.
"The Mowag offers serious protection to our troops but it also offers us capabilities in terms of defence, if necessary.
"We have various weapons systems on the Mowag that in the eventuality of certain threats being presented, we can react to any situations we may be presented with."
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