Members of the Irish Defence Forces sought protection in bunkers for about four hours in south Lebanon after their area of operations came under fire from the Israeli army.
The UN peacekeepers in the 450-strong battalion, members of the 114th infantry battalion, took cover after an exchange of fire between the Israeli defence forces and the Iranian-supported Hezbollah on Sunday afternoon.
The Irish soldiers responded to the codeword “Groundhog” directing them to take cover in bomb shelters and to don helmets and body armour as the incoming fire from the Israeli forces fell in their area, according to The Irish Times.
The Defence Forces tweeted that Irish personnel were “out of shelters” and “resuming routine” on Sunday evening, several hours after announcing that they had taken shelter “as a precautionary measure” after the rockets were fired on Sunday afternoon.
None of the Irish troops were injured. A spokesman for the Defence Forces said that they were “safe and well.”
