Micheál Martin, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, has strongly recommended that Irish citizens currently in Lebanon should exit the country commercially. According to him, if the security circumstances worsen, the government’s ability to offer assistance might be constrained. This follows heightened apprehensions about potential conflict between Hizbullah, the Lebanese group supported by Iran, and Israel.
Following a deadly rocket attack from Lebanon over the weekend, taking the lives of twelve individuals in an Israeli-governed town, primarily children, regional tensions have aggravated. This propelled Israel to counterattack with multiple strikes throughout Lebanon on Sunday. Additional Israeli assaults are expected.
Micheál Martin emphasised the urgency of Irish citizens in Lebanon evacuating through commercial routes, considering the precarious security situation and the government’s limited capacity to offer support in case of further deterioration.
Israel points finger at Hizbullah for the rocket attack on Majdal Shams, an Israeli-held Golan Heights town. The attack resulted in the death of twelve adolescents and children, marking it as the deadliest assault on Israel since the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s strike on Israel from Gaza on the 7th of October last year.
In unison with Israel, the White House ascribed the Majdal Shams attack to Lebanese Hizbullah on Sunday. They asserted the rocket that caused destruction was Hizbullah’s and the launch emanated from an area under their control. Meanwhile, Hizbullah refutes any involvement, claiming they had absolutely no connection with the attack on Majdal Shams.